Senate adopts 27 recommendations on supplementary finance bill

ISLAMABAD: Senate Monday adopted 27 recommendations on the Finance Supplementary (Amendment) Bill, 2018 as reported by the Standing Committee on Finance which would be moved to National Assembly (NA) for further consideration on them.

On behalf of Chairman Standing Committee on Finance, a member of the Committee Mian Attique Shaikh presented the report on the proposals for making recommendations on the Finance Supplementary (Amendment) Bill, 2018.

The House adopted 27 recommendations on the Bill.

Among these recommendations, the Upper House recommended to the National Assembly that the tax exemptions extended to the FATA, PATA and Malakand division prior to the 25the constitutional amendment should be restored as per law and every judgment of the Supreme Court in that regards should be honored.

Senate also recommended to the NA that funds may be allocated for water storage, irrigation, agriculture, power, roads/highways, new schools and type D Hospitals at Khyber Agency Bara.

It recommended that criteria should be revised and rules be relaxed in order to increase the number of beneficiaries and funding the BISP for Tharparkar District due to drought situation there.

The Upper House recommended to the NA that due to the deplorable circumstances for fishermen at the Gwadar East Bay, the repeatedly promised funds and development of fishlanding jetty of the west Bay ma be completed to end the suffering of the local population.

It recommended that funds may be allocated for districts Mastung and Khuzdar, which are ideal for harnessing wind and solar energy, so as to meet the energy needs of the country.

It also recommended that supply and installation of Electric Poles and transformers in Municipal corporation in Districts Khuzdar may be completed on priority.

It recommended to the Lower House to include the Khawazai and Bazai 132KVA grid station at Muhammad Agency costing Rs700 to 800 million in the PSDP 2018-19 as the same power grid station is urgently needed for above two tehsils.

It recommended that Bosqa (District Bajour) hydle power station which was reflected in 2018-19 PSDP may be expedited.

Furthermore, it recommended that irrigation water in particular should be measured by using water meters, and funds be allocated for quantifying and measuring the amount of water.

The Senate recommended that in order to reduce drought severity in district Khuzdar Balochistan which is expected to be worse with every passing day, small dams need to be constructed on priority.

It recommended that following examples from China, Holland, India etc projects for preventing water evaporation by covering canal systems with preferably solar panels to achieve energy generation as well, my be incorporated and approved.

It also recommended to include angiography lab/electrophysiology procedures for civilian patients at Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology and National Institute of Heart diseases, Rawalpindi costing Rs215.400 million in the PSDP 2018-2019.