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Committee formed to recommend KPPSC members’ appointment

February 14, 2011

By Zakir Hassnain

* KP Assembly passes resolutions to include medical ethics subject in nursing and technical staff course, extending the People’s Primary Healthcare programme to all districts of the province

* Minister says proposed Abasin TV channel could not be launched due to lack of funds from centre

PESHAWAR: A search committee has been formed to recommend appointment of members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Public Service Commission (PSC), KP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti told the provincial assembly this week.

Hoti said the issue had also come up for discussion at a cabinet committee meeting to revisit the arrangement and structure of the KP Public Service Commission (PSC). The chief minister told the House the cabinet committee would make recommendations within a month or two and refer them to the cabinet which would sent them to the assembly for approval.

The chief minister said the PSC had great responsibilities and given freedom and vast powers to make quick and right decisions on merit.

PPPP parliamentary leader Abdul Akbar Khan, who bitterly criticized the PSC performance in the past, said the provincial government had requisitioned over 4,500 vacancies during 2009-10 and the PSC could appoint only 2378 candidates to various posts which was 50 percent of total posts in two years, meaning the PSC would take another two years to fill the remaining posts. The PPP leader said there was no accountability process against the PSC to find how it selected a candidate. He said none of the past provincial assemblies tried to revisit the PSC structure to make amendments. Akbar said other provinces had made amendments to PSC rules and regulations and its structure. He asked the government to re-examine PSC structure and unlimited powers entrusted to it and make the institution effective.

Medical ethics: The House unanimously passed a resolution, moved by Zubaida Ehsan, calling on the provincial government to include medical ethics subject in nursing and technical staff course which should be compulsory for male and female nurses and technical staff.

Primary healthcare: The House also passed a joint resolution tabled by Mehr Sultana of PML-Nawaz, demanding the provincial government extend the People’s Primary Healthcare (PPHI) to all districts of the province.

TV channel: Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the proposed Abasin TV channel could not be launched due to lack of funds from the federal government. Initially, he added, Rs 180 million were needed to launch the channel. He said the province should have its own TV channel and radio station to provide maximum information to the people of KP.

Water filtration plants: Senior Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour told the House that installation of water filtration plants was a federal government project and that billons of rupees were embezzled. Bilour said an inquiry would be made into the matter and action taken against those involved in corruption. He said 900 water filtration plants were to be installed at the union council level. However, he added, only 200 were installed which were also not functioning properly.

According to the information provided by the local bodies department, the federal government allocated Rs 2100 million for the water filtration project, out of which the province received Rs 738.56 million and out of this amount spent Rs 632.308 million. The House referred the case to the committee concerned.

Principals and headmasters: Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Sardar Hussain Babak said 757 principals and headmasters had been appointed since 2009. Babak said currently 25 posts of headmasters and 67 of principals had been sent to the PSC.

Minister for Higher Education Qazi Muhammad Asad said the case of contract lecturers of Frontier Education Foundation (FEF) was subjudice and they should therefore wait for the court verdict. FEF contract lecturers are demanding regularization of their services. The lecturers staged a sit-in outside the assembly.

ADP: The House was told that a freeze imposed on the Annual Development Programme (ADP) due to flood damages was unconstitutional as it was the provincial assembly that had powers to either freeze it or suspend it and not the provincial cabinet.

In his adjournment motion, PPPP parliamentary leader Abdul Akbar Khan said despite a freeze, ADP funds were being spent on some ADP schemes. Akbar said ADP freeze was unprecedented as natural calamities also occurred before recent floods. The PPP leader said none of the other provinces suspended the ADP.

The PPP parliamentary leader said only the assembly could suspend or freeze the ADP as it approved it. He said the decision made by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet was unconstitutional. He called on the government to give details of Rs 17 billion ADP out of which only 17 percent had been spent on some schemes other than flood projects which was unfair. The PPP parliamentary leader demanded the issue be referred to a committee.

PML-Q parliamentary leader Qalandar Lodhi said the ADP freeze was an excuse to divert funds to favorite projects. Qalandar said ADP funds were not suspended when the deadly earthquake hit the country. He said suspension of ADP funds had caused distrust against the government.

ANP Senior Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour said the ADP freeze was a precautionary measure and the money would not go anywhere. Bilour said the government would review the ADP funds as soon as the situation returned to normalcy.

Un-parliamentary language: Israrullah Khan Gandapur, PPP-Sherpao, drew the attention of the House towards un-parliamentary language used by a reporter of a local Urdu daily against women members. PML-Nawaz’s Munawwar Khan supported Gandapur and used unparliamentary language against reporters upon which journalists covering the proceedings from the press gallery staged a walkout. However, the protesting journalists returned to the press gallery after the PML-Nawaz’s member withdrew his remarks and apologized to the media persons.

Acting Speaker Khushdil Khan stunned the House when he used unparliamentary language against Munawwar Sultana, an ANP member, who was found talking to Minister Zar Shaid Khan during heated discussion on ADP freeze.

“I will kick you out from the House if you continue talking,” warned the acting speaker. Khushdil said the House should be run in line with rules and regulations. The speaker said he had powers to expel or suspend a member.
Source: Daily Times
Date:2/14/2011