Funds for marginalized segments: NA panel asks government to approve special package worth Rs 5 billions

A parliamentary panel has asked the ministry of planning and ministry of finance to recommend and allocate additional funds for the marginalized segments of the society, so that they can be brought at par with rest of the country. The panel requested the government to approve a special package of Rs 5 billion for the terrorism-hit people across the country in a bid to enable them to restart their livelihood.
The Senate Special Committee on Marginalized Segment of Society met here under the chairmanship of Senator Nisar Mohammad Khan and asked the government to pay special focus on providing basic necessities to orphans, eunuchs, widows, special persons and all those coming under the definition of marginalized. The panel asked the government to maintain record of marginalized people on state level so that they can be provided with the services enjoying other masses. Budget allocations should be focused on eliminating all forms of exploitation and discriminations.
The panel also suggested the authorities to devise such a viable Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) and other plans aimed at developing the country that could benefit all the segments of the society, which is a vital tool to check the sense of deprivation among the people of backward areas. Senator Sitara Ayaz of Awami National Party (ANP) said that smaller federating units always faced discrimination in PSDP funding, saying that the Balochistan is the poorest province of the country but receives the lowest chunk in PSDP funding.
Senator Sajid Turi from Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) said that the tribal belt was always ignored in allocating of PSDP, saying that budget 2017-18 has nothing for the development of the tribal areas. Senator Rubina Irfan said that Gwadar is the main hub for future and current industrial developments but the locals even have no access to pure drinking water. She asked the government to initiate water supply schemes for Gwadar city and other parts of the costal belt.
The officials of the Ministry of Planning and Developments while briefing the participants said that the costal belt of the country is the poorest region in the country. They informed that in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) poverty is on the decline. They added that in the rural areas 54 per cent of the population is living below the poverty line, in Balochistan 71 percent people are below the poverty line, in Punjab 37 percent people are below the poverty line while the same percentage fir Sindh and KPK is 43 and 49 respectively. They added that 43 per cent people of the Gilgit-Baltistan and 34 per cent of the Azad Kashmir are living below the poverty line.
The officials said that the government has planned more developmental projects in budget 2017-18 as compared to all the past budgets in a bid to spread the impacts of development to underdeveloped regions with a volume of Rs 1 trillion. The chairman committee said that in the next budget, as usual the government has allocated special funds for the Prime Minister Development Fund, adding that budgetary allocation on regional basis is also not based on equality criteria.
He said that the government so far has not provided special package for the restoration of 750 militancy-hit families of Malakand Division, while it has approved Rs 250 million each projects for 170 constituencies. The panel recommended the government to increase the funding for the completely and partially destroyed houses in FATA.