Sense of deprivation is on the rise in the province because of “one-man show”, Moonis Elahi

LAHORE, June 26: PML-Q leader Moonis Elahi says sense of deprivation is on the rise in the province because of “one-man show” in administrating Punjab.

In a statement on Friday, he said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had concentrated powers of inspector-general down to a low paid clerk and cabinet members were helpless in taking any decision regarding their departments.

Rescue 1122 being made controversial: Moonis Elahi

LAHORE – PML-Q leader Moonis Elahi has said that at the heart of the clash between doctors and workers of Rescue 1122 lie a sick mindset of the Punjab government which wants to minimize the role of the rescue service being the brainchild of former chief minister Ch. Pervaiz Elahi.
In a statement issued here on Tuesday, Moonis Elahi alleged that the clash between two services reflected the failure of Punjab government.
He was of the view that both the aggrieved parties were serving a noble cause and government could play its role to diffuse the tension rather than adding fuel to fire.
He claimed that Rescue 1122 workers and doctors were playing their role to save human lives very efficiently but government was not ready to even tolerate this project initiated by the former government.
He was of the view that the Punjab government’s behavior towards Rescue 1122 service had been discriminatory and Punjab government after making number of failed attempts to abolish this service had now started to make it a controversial. He claimed that had the Punjab government been fair and just then confrontation between the two services would not have taken place.

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Punjab Government’s behaviour towards Rescue 1122 had been discriminatory: Moonis Elahi

Moonis Elahi slams overspending at CM’s Secretariat

Moonis Elahi Speech in Punjab Assembly

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Claim of Tax-Free Budget is challenged by Opposition in Punjab Assembly

LAHORE, June 22: The government’s claim that no new tax has been levied in the 2009-10 budget was challenged by an opposition member during the debate on the financial plan for the next fiscal during the Punjab Assembly session here on Monday.

Except a few, most of the legislators who got opportunity to submit their suggestions preferred only commenting on the document. For the opposition, the budget proposals were ‘antipeople’ while the treasury members termed these ‘exemplary’.

Presenting statistics, PML-Q’s Mohsin Khan Leghari informed the house that tax had been enhanced manifold under several heads, besides the government had spent beyond its allocated limits last year.

He said Rs126 million were allocated for the Chief Minister’s Secretariat in the budget 2008-09, but the supplementary budget revealed the expenditures actually stood at Rs268 million. Similarly, Rs47 million were allocated for VIP flights, but Rs85 million were spent.

In the 2009-10 budget, Mr Leghari said, the government had increased tax collection target for agriculture income form last years’ Rs600 million to Rs1,100 million, on property from Rs500 million to Rs10,450 million, land revenue from 4,100 million to Rs5,060 million, excise from 1,300 to Rs1,450 million, sales tax from 3,120 million to 8,759 million, stamps from 6,400 million to Rs11,000 million, motor vehicle from Rs4,300 to Rs7,624 million, toll tax from Rs5,00 million to Rs1,100 million, building rent from Rs240,000 to Rs48million and entertainment from Rs15 million to Rs77 million.

“This shows how much increase the government has introduced in taxes in the current budget. The masses will eventually have to face the brunt of this increase in the from of direct or indirect taxes,” Leghari said.

He said the Shahbaz government could not honour the commitments it made in the previous budget. “Rs1 billion were allocated in the 2008-09 budget for providing houses to the poor.

Besides it had planned to increase electricity generation by 350MW and also had to spend Rs200 million and Rs500 million for the welfare of brilliant students and teachers, respectively. Bus service was also planned for the students of seven districts. The constitution of price control boards also remained confined to papers.” Mr Leghari said the government in the last budget had also announced Rs2,000 million and Rs1,000 million subsidy on agriculture tube-wells and transport, respectively, but did not spent a penny for the purpose.

Out of Rs13,000 million subsidy announced on food items, the government paid only Rs1,935 million, he added.

Similarly, he said the government wrote off only Rs450 million loans of widows as against Rs1,000 million it had promised in the previous budget.

Moonis Elahi joined Mr Leghari in ‘exposing lavish spending’ of the PML-N government.
He said the chief minister’s secretariat had burdened the provincial exchequer with an additional Rs150 million. “Reducing the education budget by Rs10 billion and using the money for paying the chief minister’s plane and chopper flights bills and other expenses amounts to destroying the already fragile education sector in the province,” he commented.

The junior Elahi further said the Shahbaz government’s ‘antieducation’ policies had been resulting in decline in literacy and enrolment rates. He also criticised the government for using Zakat and Baitul Maal funds for his ‘Sasti Roti politics’.

He was of the view that subsidy on wheat should have been of fered instead of spending millions of rupees for the roti scheme which was aimed at ‘self promotion’.

He was also critical of the government for purchasing a fleet of luxury cars for ‘nonelected’ chairpersons of task forces against its much-trumpeted austerity campaign.

He said an amount of Rs35 million was allocated for the gifts and entertainment head last year, but the Shahbaz government had spent over Rs100 million, instead.

Calling the budget an ‘incomplete financial document,’ Mr Elahi said: “It is report of the extravagant and whimsical expenses of the Shahbaz Raj.” Sagheera Islam of PPP said bureaucrats had prepared the budget and even Finance Minister Tanvir Ashraf Kaira was not consulted in the process. She suggested that the salary of the government employees should be increased up to at least 25 per cent.

Dr Faiza Asghar suggested upgrading of the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau to a department under a separate ministry. She said rehabilitation centres should be opened for mentally-retarded children in all districts of the province.

Senior Minister Raja Riaz responded that her suggestions would be given a serious thought.
The opposition members started passing remarks during the speech of ‘unification bloc’ head Dr Tahir Ali Javed who was all praise for Shahbaz Sharif and his policies.

PPP’s Azma Bokari alleged the Punjab government had not facilitated the blood camps the PPP had set up across the province to mark its slain chairperson Benazir Bhutto’s birthday.

Moeen Watto, Rahila Khadim Husain, Farah Deeba, Mehr Ijaz, Rana Munawar, Shagufta Shaikh, Rai Jamil, Khadeeja Omar and Rai Aslam Khan also spoke.

Moonis Elahi slams overspending at CM’s Secretariat

LAHORE: Spending on transport and entertainment at the Chief Minister’s (CM’s) Secretariat far exceeded budget allocations for 2008-09, despite official promises to cut unnecessary expenditure, opposition MPA Moonis Elahi said in the Punjab Assembly on Monday.

When they came to power, members of the PML-N-led government accused their predecessors of overspending on cars and paraded these vehicles before the media, said Moonis, whose father Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi headed the previous administration.

But the same government budgeted Rs 3.5 million for transport at the CM’s Secretariat and spent Rs 200 million; budgeted Rs 5 million for helicopters and planes, but spent Rs 25 million; and budgeted Rs 35 million for gifts and entertainment, but spent Rs 100 million, he said.

Moonis said the government had budgeted Rs 120 million for the CM’s Secretariat but spent Rs 270 million. “If they can’t control the budget for the CM’s Secretariat, how can they control the budget for the entire province?” he asked.

The opposition MPA also criticised the Sasti Roti scheme, saying it made far more economic sense to subsidise wheat. He named a shop in Gawalmandi, home constituency of the Sharif brother, that was selling roti for Rs 3 each. He also slammed the government’s record on education, saying differences with district governments meant Rs 11 billion for education remained unspent in the 2008-09 budget, and the next budget contained Rs 10 billion less for education. staff report

Moonis Elahi blasts ‘Sasti Roti Politics’

THE Punjab government on Monday received serious flak from the opposition for allegedly neglecting the education sector, using Zakat and Baitul Maal funds for promoting ‘Sasti Roti politics’ and spending millions on entertainment rather than providing real relief to the poor.

Chaudhry Moonis Elahi, son of PML-Q Punjab president and former Chief Minister, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, in his post-budget speech in the Punjab Assembly, lambasted the provincial government for its “failure to control lavish expenses, particularly of the CM’s Secretariat as Rs 270 million was on it spent instead of last year’s approved Rs 120 million.”

He flayed burdening the provincial exchequer with an additional Rs 150 million in the ‘Shahbaz Raj.’ Equally supported by his party members, the junior Chaudhry also slated the alleged misuse of powers and resources by the Punjab government and termed the budget a visionless and incomplete document carrying nothing for the poor.

The PA proceedings started with a delay of a few minutes with Deputy Speaker Rana Mashood Ahmed Khan in the chair. PPP MPA Abdul Qadir Gillani, son of Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, on a point of order, congratulated the Pakistan cricket team for its historic victory in the Twenty-20 Cricket World Cup and told the House that a special reception would be held for the team by the federal government. Senior Punjab Minister Raja Riaz Ahmed, on a point of order, hailed the spirit shown by people on the 56th birth anniversary of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. He also praised PML-Q MPA Samina Khawar Hayat and her husband for donating blood on the occasion.

Later, Moonis Elahi was given the floor to start his speech for the budget. From the very outset of his speech, the junior Chaudhry was critical of the PML-N led Punjab government for its bad governance and inability to provide relief to the poor population of the province. Moonis Elahi said it was really awful that the Punjab government had sacrificed the provincial education budget at the altar of its whimsical and extravagant spending of public funds. He said the reduction of Rs 10 billion in the educational budget and use of the money to “foot the CM’s plane and chopper flying bills were tantamount to destroy the already fragile education sector of the province.”

He said that anti-education policies of the Shahbaz government had resulted in a steep decline of provincial literacy and enrolment rates. Coming hard on the provincial government for “fooling the nation” in the name of ‘Sasti Roti,’ he said even in Gawalmandi, the home constituency of the Sharifs, a Tandoor working in Bismillah Hotel was selling Roti at Rs 3, a clear proof of the government’s inefficiency and failure.

He said had subsidy on wheat been offered instead of spending millions of rupees on the promotion and publicity of ‘Sasti Roti,’ the entire population of the province could have benefited. He said the use of Zakat and Baitul Maal funds for fraudulent ‘Sasti Roti politics’ was another example of the misuse of power and resources and equivalent to murdering and depriving the innocent.

Criticising the Punjab government for setting up many task forces, he said the PML-N government was spending billions of rupees in the province on these task forces, which “comprised incompetent and unelected favourites.

He said these task forces were a huge burden on public resources and were a proof of the difference between claims and deeds of the Shahbaz government. He said that Rs 35 million was allocated for ìthe gift and entertainment budgetî of the Punjab government last year but the government had spent Rs 100 million. He said that the poor population of the province was making its both ends meet with great difficulty and asked that for whose entertainment Rs 100 million had been spent by the government.

Earlier, PPP legislator Azma Bokhari on a point of order also demanded explanation from Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan for the poor coordination of Punjab Health Department on the eve of Benazir Bhutto’s 56th birth anniversary.

However, Raja Riaz Ahmed and not Rana Sanaullah on the occasion said if the honourable member had any complaint, she must inform him. This could not satisfy Azma who insisted that Rana Sanaullah to explain the reason of this cooperation before the entire House. Nevertheless, Deputy Speaker Rana Mashood asked Azma to let the budget proceedings continue and let the senior minister settle the issue. PPP legislator from Attock, Shahan Malik on a point of order informed the House that the forests in Kala Chita Range were on fire and proper attention must be paid by the Forest department. He said the stealing of wood had become a common routine there and whenever any notice was taken, the forests were deliberately set on fire which was really shocking. Deputy Speaker Rana Mashood on the occasion said the matter was really very important and asked the Minister concerned (Ahmed Ali Aulakh) to acquire report of it.

Asif Manzoor Mohal, a PML-N MPA from Bahawalnagar hailed the Punjab government for presenting a public-friendly budget. He suggested that an agricultural university should be established in Bahawalpur, which would yield very positive results for the agricultural sector for the entire belt of southern Punjab.

Makhdoom Irtiza, a PPP legislator from Rahimyar Khan in his budget speech stated that allocation of Rs 43 billion for police would not help improve the Thana culture. He said during the last tenure of PML-Q, a lot allocation was made for the police and it was well equipped but it could not change the traditional Thana culture. He further said that allowance for MPAs should also be increased. Besides, a privilege motion moved by PML-Q MPA Samina Khawar Hayat was disposed of.