ISLAMABAD: The State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Muhammad Khan, informed the National Assembly Wednesday that a subsidy of Rs10 billion would be given to farmers on different agriculture inputs for the Kharif season.

Replying to a question during question hour, he said that a special relief package worth Rs50 billion for farmers was announced during coronavirus pandemic in the country.

He said that the Finance Division had already released Rs15.6 billion to the ministry, of which Rs15.3 billion had been transferred to provinces during 2020-21.

He said the government was making huge investment on farmers to increase production of various crops including wheat, rice, cotton, and sugarcane etc. He said the country witnessed record wheat production of 27.5 million tons this year owing to the steps taken by the government.

He said the government has chalked out PM Emergency Plan worth Rs277 billion for promotion of agriculture sector in the country.

He said that subsidies were being given to farmers on fertilisers, seeds and pesticides, adding soft loans on nominal markup were also being provided to the farmers for purchasing tractors and other agriculture-related equipment.

Khan said that efforts were being made to introduce new seeds to increase the agriculture productivity including cotton. He said that the country was self-sufficient in the production of cotton yarn, rather it had exported 39,000-tons worth $121 million.

However, he said that cotton production, the basic raw material to manufacture yarn, was lowering for the past few years. The decline in the cotton area was mainly witnessed in Punjab, he said, adding the area under competing crops such as sugarcane, rice, and maize was increasing at the cost of the cotton area.

To another question, he said that out of a total of 30 kilometers length of Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) loop section, 14 kilometers of track had been rehabilitated.

However, at present, he added, the KCR was operationalised from Marshalling Yard Pipri-Karachi City-Orangi stations (64 kilometers) with effect from February 10, 2021.

He said that further work from Orangi to Depot Hill Stations (16 kilometers) was held up for want of construction of flyovers and underpasses by the provincial government for elimination of level-crossing as per the directives of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

He said that the entire Circular Railways would be restored in Karachi in its original form as it was closed in December, 1999 within six months on completion of flyovers and underpasses by the Sindh government. The Pakistan Railways had completed the feasibility study for modern KCR, which was in process of approval, he added.

The parliamentary secretary for national health services, Nousheen Hamid, said that a programme of Rs313 billion has been prepared to address children malnutrition issue.

She that the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has already approved the programme, adding the programme has been prepared on the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan and the target is to eliminate stunting by 2030.

In response to a question, she said currently, there was no proposal under consideration or suggestion under discussion to conduct a large scale national nutrition survey to access the nutritional status of children stunting, anemia, underweight, and obesity.

A national nutrition survey was conducted in 2018-19, which was launched in September 2019, adding this was the largest survey ever conducted in Pakistan with more than 130,000 households in the sample size.

According to the National Nutrition Survey (NNS) 2018, she added, an estimated 40.2pc children under the age of five years are stunted (chronic malnutrition) and nearly 17.7pc are wasted (acute malnutrition).

“Both these figures exceed WHO [World Health Organization] emergency threshold levels...a nationwide survey conducted in 2011 also revealed continued high rates of micronutrient deficiencies in children and women,” she said. A total of 54pc children, she added, were anemic, 52pc were vitamin A and 63pc were vitamin D deficient.

Similarly, 43pc mothers were anemic 27pc suffer from vitamin A and 80pc from vitamin D deficiency, she said.

The parliamentary secretary for water resources, Saleh Muhammad, told the House that work on Diamer-Bhasha dam is in full swing.

He said that the installed electricity generation capacity of this project would be 4,500 megawatts, adding the construction of water reservoirs would help address the issue of water shortage.

In a written relay to the house, the Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination said that according to the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) data, since March 2020 till June 25, 2021, the number of children affected by the Covid-19 is 36,477.

He said that the infection is spreading very rapidly in Punjab and Sindh, adding the spread of infection is greater in urban areas compared to rural areas. In another written reply to a question, the minister said that according to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) data, following is the number of district-wise deaths due to the Covid-19 from March 01, 2020 till June 25: Rawalpindi 1,233, Attock 71 , Chakwal 38, Jhelum 60, Gujranwala 379, Hafizabad 37, Gujrat 300, Mandi Bahauddin 42, Sialkot 352, Narowal 17, Lahore 3,617, Kasur 78, Sheikhupura 154, Okara 87, Nankana Sahib 73, Sargodha 377, Khushab 56, Mianwali 132, Bhakkar 46, Faisalabad 1,078, TT Singh 140, Jhang 102, Chiniot 77, Multan 498, Khanewal 119, Vehari 69, Lodhran 60, Sahiwal 191, Pakpattan 46, Bahawalpur 241, RY Khan 201, Bahawalnagar 75, Dera Ghazi Khan 163, Rajanpur 40, Muzaffargarh 205, Layyah 31, Hyderabad 311, Thatta 13, Badin 24, Dadu 25, Jamshoro 35, TM Khan 5, T Allahyar 18, Matiari 13, Mirpurkhas 30, Sanghar 29, Musakhelone, Saifullah six, Sharani 0, Sibitwo, Ziarat 0, Harnai one, Kohlu 0, D Bugti 0, Naseerabad 0, Bolan 0, Jafarabad 0, Jhal Magsi one, Kachhi 0, Mastung 0, Kharan 0, Kalat two, Khuzdar two, Lasbela three, Awaran 0, Washuk 0, Kech 0, Gwadar 0, Panjgur two, Sikandrabad 0, Dukki 0, Sohbatpur 0, Afghan refugees 0, Muzaffarabad 65, Jehlum Valley seven, Mirpur 116, Kotli 55, Poonch 86, Bagh 59, Haveli seven, Sudnuti 8, Bhimber 41, Neelum four, Gilgit 30, Skardu 27, Kharmang 4, Shigar 5, Diamer 4, Ghizer 4, Ghanche 6, Astore 5, Hunzanagar 0, Hunza 5, Nagar 4, Islamabad 520, Bajour 86, Khyber 60, 25, Mohmand 35, Kurram 36, Orakzai 9, Wazir – n 28, Wazir – s 6, Karachi 3,927, Tharparkar 7, Umerkot 9, Sukkur 33, Ghotki 14, Khairpur 34, Benazirabad 23, N Feroz 18, Larkana 43, Shikarpur 17, Jacobabad 4, Kashmore 10, Kambar 11, Nawabshah 0, Sujawal 18, Abbottabad 121, Battagram 30, Haripur 85, Kohistan 0, Mansehra 90, Torghar 0, Malakand 111, Chitral 31, Buner 48, Dir Lower 115, Swat 219, Dir Upper 74, Shangla 25, Dir 26, Peshawar 938, Charsadda 206, Nowshera 156, Bajour 0, Khyber 0, Mohmand 0, Mardan 363, Swabi 151, Kohat 138, Karak 61, Kurram 0, Orakzai 1, Hangu 60, DI Khan 48, Bannu 78, Lakki Marwat 19, Tank 8, Kolaipalas 2, Kohistan upper 9, Kohistan lower 0, Quetta 137, Pishin 10, Chaghai 0, Kabhalah 1, Noshki 1, Zhob 2, Loralai 4, and Barkhan 0.

After the question hour, when Raja Khurram Shahzad Nawaz moved a calling attention notice regarding television fee from mosques, Maulana Abdul Shakoor of the JUI-F pointed out the quorum.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021