KARACHI, Apr 15 (APP):Pakistan People’s Party with two-third majority in the province, following the 18th constitutional amendment, is in a very strong position to introduce measures that could have trickledown effect and lead to public empowerment in its true sense, said Federal Minister for Ports and Maritime Affairs, Ali Haider Zaidi here on Wednesday.
“Actual power and this is executive power that now lies with the provinces,” he said while responding to queries raised by media persons during his visit to a Ehsaas Centre, located in Karachi Central, to monitor disbursement of cash amount under Ehsaas Cash Relief Programme.
Zaidi claimed that discrepancies identified in the provincial government’s performance and policies by him and colleagues were not for the sake of criticism, but to help concerned quarters in plugging the loopholes that are but a cause of grave inconvenience and trouble for the masses in general.
Emphasizing upon his point he said every citizen of the province, in particular, holds every right to know about the fate of Rs.220 billion allocated for health sector and another Rs.189 billion for education under the provincial budget for fiscal year 2019-2020.
“This is public money and has to be spent with extreme prudence and transparency,” he reiterated.
“Why is that vast majority of the hospitals and relevant healthcare facilities in the province remain devoid of ventilators and many of the other essential facilities,” inquired the federal minister also expressing his reservations about the pathetically poor social welfare network and infrastructure required for education and healthcare facilities.
About the Ehsaas Programme announced by Prime Minister Imran Khan, he said it was one of the massive relief initiatives to reach the poorest of the poor and that Ehsaas Cash Relief Programme announced to help those worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. He said it was a tremendous effort where beneficiaries were reached in the most transparent manner with extreme care that recipients are those who actually deserve.
To a question about COVID-19 situation in the country, he said there was an urgency to expedite the testing process, for which the federal government through NDMA was arranging more and easy availability of testing kits, so as to have adequate understanding of its status, Zaidi said he could, however, safely said that average incidence rate of it in Pakistan was much low as compared to global rates.
“In the given situation we have to identify the hotbeds and isolate these instead of absolute lockdown as it would be difficult to sustain the same,” he said emphasizing that people being provided with safe employment opportunities have to be repeatedly educated about essential precaution that may protect them and all those around against the risk to contract novel coronavirus.
About construction sector policy of the PM, the federal minister said that this was a way forward towards a direction that would lead towards financial and social empowerment of the masses.
The federal minister also took strong exception to the deteriorating civic situation in Karachi and inquired as why the public representatives could not realize their responsibilities.
“Karachi is financial hub of the country and economic turnaround is not possible without its development,” he said mentioning that 90 to 95 percent of the country’s trade is done through ports located in Karachi hence immediate attention was needed to be paid towards its infrastructure development.
Zaidi claimed that during his current stay in Karachi he was holding series of meetings with the representatives of different organizations of traders and businessmen and their suggestions would be forwarded to the PM so as to expedite the pace of critically needed work in the port city.
“Once we are out of the COVID-19 crisis we will have to look for our survival and one of the best options would be to follow the Japan model that the country devastated after WW II opted for ,” he said reminding that Japan resorted to produce best of the products for its own markets as there were little opportunities abroad.
He on the occasion also paid his tributes to the members of the medical community – doctors, nurses, paramedics, besides scouts, policemen, volunteers and Pakistan Rangers – Sindh for playing critical role in handling the pandemic at different levels in the country.
APP/rhd/Karachi/HB
