ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel, on Friday, pended discussion on the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2021 due to the absence of Chairman OGRA. The Committee opined that public functionaries should accord priority to the parliamentary business.

The Committee also pended discussion on the Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill, 2021 for further discussion on the bill.

The Committee met under the chairpersonship of Kishwer Zehra. The Committee was of the view that policy matters should remain within the purview of the public representatives i.e. minister in-charge of any ministry/division since ultimately public representatives were answerable to their constituents.

The Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat directed the Establishment Division to bring a service delivery model of Staff Welfare Organisation within two months for its re-organisation.

The Committee was of the view that there was duplicity in the charter and functions of the Staff Welfare Organization and other staff welfare-related organisation under the Establishment Division. The Committee was informed that the Staff Welfare Organization was mandated to assess needs of federal government employees, initiate schemes for their wellbeing, provide educational stipends to their dependents and establish/provide other community services.

The representative of the Staff Welfare Organisation apprised the Committee that the organisation was performing its functions/managing its establishments in Islamabad and four provincial capitals through its 415 staff members.

Further apprising the Committee about the annual budgetary allocation versus expenditure of the organisation, he apprised that the administrative expenditure outcast other employees' welfare activities and maintenance of its establishments.

The additional secretary, Establishment Division, informed that on the order of the incumbent secretary, a review of the mandate and organisational structure of the Staff Welfare Organization was under way.

He informed that the review report would be presented before the Committee in two months that would contain suggestion for making the organisation self-reliant and more responsive towards the needs of the federal government employees.

The Committee pended discussion on the Constitution (Amendment) Bills moved by MNAs, Aliya Kamran and Salahuddin Ayubi seeking amendments in Article 27 of the Constitution for enhancing provincial and regional quota in federal government jobs.

The Committee after briefing on SDGs Schemes of the government was of the view that projects funded by the federal money should be executed through and monitored by the federal government.

The members complained that the work on projects executed by the provincial departments was either substandard or were still incomplete since many years.

The additional secretary Cabinet Division apprised the Committee that a Steering Committee headed by the defence minister approved all the schemes received from provincial governments and a proper mechanism was in place for their monitoring.

Regarding execution of projects through the Pak-PWD, he said that a project worth Rs12 billion were being executed in various parts of the country.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021