Four sugar mills, owned by Zardari’s aide, granted Rs 1.5b out of Rs 2b funds for rural Sindh’s industrial development
A private news channel Sunday reported massive irregularities in distribution of Rs 2 billion allocated for Rehabilitation of Sick Industrial Units in rural Sindh under the province’s annual development fund. It was reported that the entire amount was utilised for sugar mills only, leaving the textile sector high and dry.
More so, out of the total amount, as much as Rs 1.5 billion was granted as easy loan to only four sugar mills being directly and indirectly operated by former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s aide Anwar Majeed, the report claimed.
Out of Sindh’s 1,200 ailing industries, only 17 were granted loans. While Majeed’s four sugar mills were granted the more than half of the money, the rest of the 13 mills got their hands on less than Rs 500 million together.
Per report, Majeed’s New Thatha Sugar Mill, which was bought by the Omni Group of Industries from the Sindh government for a meagre Rs 80 million, was granted Rs 500 million for uplift. Apart from skewed distribution of resources, the mill still lacks adequate infrastructure and has “non functional machines”, it added.
Moreover, Majeed’s Chambar Sugar Mill was also granted Rs 500 million in the first year of the uplift program while Saheri and Venus sugar mills were granted Rs 290 million and Rs 245 million respectively.
The report lamented that the ADP scheme was launched so that the rural Sindh could be brought on track of development and employment opportunities could be created to curb inter-city migration, however all the funds were being used by Majeed alone.
