Ministry of Communication: Rs 43.32 billion revenue generated in 2018-19: report

The Central Media Department of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Wednesday released performance report of the Ministry of Communications, which says revenue of Rs 43.32 billion was generated during 2018-19 compared to Rs 28.64 billion in 2017-18, registering an increase of Rs 14.68 billion (51.25%) during this period.
According to the details provided by party's Central Media Department, the federal government issued report of performance and expenditures of the Ministry of Communications during the last 11 months. The report said that revenue of the ministry has risen to Rs 43 billion and its income has increased by 51 percent.
Minister for Communications Murad Saeed has so far recovered Rs 7 billion and deposited the amount to the national kitty. The report said that billions of rupees were also recovered under the anti-encroachment campaign of the government; however, the recovery ratio during the last regime was nil. A new system containing facilities such as e-billing, e-tendering, and mobile app has been introduced in the ministry to enhance transparency. The report said that different projects of national highways will be completed from three to six months.
During the previous government, the minister and parliamentary secretary received Rs 3,591,000 and Rs 4,852,000 respectively in terms of TA & DA(s); however, Saeed did not spend a single penny of the national exchequer to cover the fuel or transport expenses and has not even claimed the TA&DA allowances.
The Ministry of Communications and National Highway Authority (NHA) issued performance details for the period of August 2018 to June 2019, according to which, total revenue of Rs 43,326.30 million was collected during 2018-19. While in 2017-18 revenue of Rs 28,645.46 million was generated thus a total increase in revenue of Rs 14,680.84 million was recorded (51.25% increase) as compared to the previous year.
Likewise in the accountability head, total audit recoveries of Rs 7,015.42 million were made in 2018-19 while in 2017-18 no audit recoveries were made. It is to recall that during 2008 to 2018 for the offices of minister and parliamentary secretary, total expenditures of more than Rs 9.8 million were made on TA/DA and Rs 25.73 million were spent on vehicles and petrol from the NHA's budget. While in 2018-19 expenditures of the minister's office in TA/DA, vehicles and petrol heads were not made from the NHA's budget.
The NHA actively launched an anti-encroachment drive in 2018-19 and 3,347 encroachments were removed and resultantly recaptured 448.25 kanals of land. The cost of vacated land is Rs 2,503 million. It is noteworthy to mention here that under Clean and Green Pakistan Programme, the NHA has planted 757,926 trees along motorways and national highways during 2018-19, and this drive will continue.
In 2018-19, the NHA (NHA-is friendly highways) and National Highways & Motorway Police (HUMSAFAR) launched mobile applications for sharing of information of all ongoing projects as well as live information for commuters' facilitation. The geo-graphic information system is another step forward initiated to prepare digital data of entire NHA's right of way (RoW) that will be completed by December 11, 2020.
The E-Billing project to convert payments of development projects through electronic mode has also been initiated. Hakla-DI Khan Motorway Project (CPEC western route) will come on e-billing mode as a pilot project on July 30, 2019. With the view to maintain transparency in the road building schemes, system for e-tendering/bidding of NHA's procurement has been started that will be completed and launched by December 2019. The road projects having total length of 1,188 km have also been realized.