News
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Govt releases half of HEC’s blocked funds* PM says it is question of future of thousands of students studying both at home and abroad
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: On the directive of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, the Finance Ministry has agreed to release stalled funds of Rs 4.5 billion to the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Rs 2 billion have been released in the first phase.
The prime minister telephoned the finance secretary and directed him to immediately release HEC funds, saying, “It is question of the future of thousands of students who are studying both at home and abroad.”
Talking to Minister for Professional and Technical Training Sheikh Waqas Akram, Raja said that no complacency would be tolerated in this regard.
After a detailed discussion with the minister, the prime minister ordered the Finance Ministry to immediately release funds for HEC.
The minister informed the prime minister that salaries of professors and lower staff have been stopped due to stalled funds of HEC.
Sheikh Waqas also told Raja that due to unavailability of funds, 10,000 overseas PhD scholars and graduates would suffer and all other overseas projects would also be jeopardised. The prime minister was also told that 74 public sectors universities were likely to be affected due to delay in release of HEC funds.
The minister congratulated the prime minister on assumption of post of the country’s
chief executive, saying that this was the result of Raja’s sheer hard work, loyalty to the PPP’s ideology and passion for people’s welfare.
He said that the fact that the prime minister rose to the country’s top position from
grassroots was reflection of democratic credentials of the PPP. The minister also appreciated the PPP leadership for rewarding party workers in a justified manner, adding that it spoke volumes of the “party’s representative character in the real sense”.
The minister said that the rise of a “hardcore political worker to the top executive post of the country has infused hope in the political activists and has set a new trend in the national politics, which other political parties should follow and exhibit real commitment to democracy and people’s empowerment”.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk