News
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Provinces reluctant to take control of five ministries* Second phase of devolution process in jeopardy
* Govt committed to complete process by June 30, 2011
By Zeeshan Javaid
ISLAMABAD: The Implementation Commission on 18th Amendment once again found itself in troubled waters as the provinces showed reluctance in taking charge of five ministries because of financial crunch as well as lack of infrastructure.
Meeting of the commission was held here on Tuesday with Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee, Mian Raza Rabbani, in the chair to resolve the issue in line with the 18th Amendment. Chief secretaries of the four provinces were also present on the occasion.
Well-placed sources informed Daily Times that provinces were reluctant to accept five more ministries, including education, tourism, social welfare and special education, livestock and dairy development and culture, because of financial difficulties.
They said that the second phase of the devolution process could be in doldrums as the provinces demanded the federal government to take it upon itself the burden of payment of salaries to the federal government employees for the next five years, or delay the process for the next six months.
“However, the commission is determined to complete the whole process by June 30, 2011, as enshrined in 18th Constitutional Amendment,” they added.
Talking to newsmen after the meeting, Rabbani said that all things which had been agreed to in the 18th Amendment and passed by both Houses of parliament unanimously would be transferred to the provinces. “For the purpose, parliament and provinces will protect it at any cost,” he said.
He said that all ministries and departments in concurrent list, which had been mentioned in the 18th Amendment, should be transferred to the provinces.
Sources further added that devolution process was very likely the part of the 7th National Finance Commission (NFC) award, in which the federal government massively increased the share of provinces up to Rs 350 billion to accept the responsibilities, which might be increased up to Rs 400 billion for the next financial year 2011-12.
Rabbani informed newsmen that the consensus between the provinces and the commission could not mature because another amendment would be needed, if commission welcomed the demand of provinces to delay the devolution process for next six months.
It is worth mentioning here that federal government has already been bearing the burden of more than 4,500 employees of five ministries, which were devolved in the first phase of the devolution process.
Sources further maintained that the commission Chairman, Raza Rabbani, took a tough stance over the new stance taken by the provinces and termed it ‘out of question’.
However as per constitutional amendment, the commission called next meeting on March 21 to complete the second phase of the devolution process. Officials of National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) briefed the commission at the meeting.
During the briefing, it was told that NCHD is an independent institution and should not be transferred to the provinces.
Under the 18th Amendment of the constitution, the concurrent list has been abolished but some of its items have been placed in the federal legislative list-II and Council of Common Interest (CCI) would decide about them later.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk