Sindh Government has decided in principle to take up the issue of non-devolved items and federal government refusal to fund seven health projects of the province in the upcoming meeting of Council of Common Interests (CCI). Sources in Chief Minister's House told Business Recorder that concerned officials of the provincial government were preparing the case of non-devolved items and funding of health schemes, which will be presented in CCI meeting to be held in Islamabad soon after Eid-ul-Fitr.
Sources said that the federal government had stopped funding for nine health projects in Sindh in violation of an earlier decision of CCI. When Health Ministry was devolved under the 18th constitutional amendment, all these schemes should have been shifted to Sindh along with due funds.
They said that later Sindh government raised health schemes' issue in CCI and it was decided that the center would continue funding all the nine schemes until the financial year 2014-15, besides providing funds for the Mother and Neonatal Child Health (MNCH) project until 2017. But, they added, seven health projects sent by Sindh government for approval to Central Development Working Party (CDWP) were not been taken up for consideration.
This issue came under discussion at a meeting held at Sindh Secretariat a few days ago. The meeting discussed a host of issues to be taken up in the CCI meeting scheduled to be held in Islamabad after Eid. Sources said nine health schemes were devolved to Sindh government but except the National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Health Care and MNCH programme, none of the funds allocated in Public Sector Development Programme were given to the province. It was also pointed out that the Extended Programme on Immunisation was not devolved to the provinces and was being executed by the Federal Ministry for Inter-provincial Co-ordination. The meeting discussed other non-devolved subjects including the EOBI, WWB and others.