The Council of Common Interests (CCI) on Saturday agreed to work on a formula for distribution of Zakat by provinces and to expedite work on compensation to the people affected by the devastating floods of last summer.
The CCI, which met with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in the chair, also sought proposals from the Ministry of Water and Power to coordinate with the provinces, regarding permission for power generation, and directed to submit its proposals within a week.
The high-powered body decided that the distribution of Zakat be solely handled by the provinces following the devolution and after the implementation of the 18th Amendment. The four chief ministers decided to work out a consensus formula for the disbursement of the Zakat fund.
The CCI meeting was attended by all four chief ministers Shahbaz Sharif (Punjab), Qaim Ali Shah (Sindh), Amir Haider Hoti (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Nawab Aslam Raeesani (Balochistan). The Council of Common Interests, set up with the objective to resolve issues between the provinces and the federal government also decided to expedite the compensation to the people affected by the devastating floods of last year.
The chief ministers were urged to provide details of each household victim within two weeks so that the federal government may release necessary funds. The CCI also approved the proposal of submitting the Special Economic Zone Act 2011 to the Parliament, so as to expedite setting up of such new zones, to help attract more investment, increase employment opportunities and provide a competitive environment for doing business.
The meeting decided that the Finance Ministry would hold meetings with the provincial finance departments and finalize proposals on Public Debt Management Policy for submission to the National Economic Council. The CCI was informed that it would be briefed on debt management at a later stage at an exclusive meeting.
The meeting decided to include the chief secretaries of the provinces while undertaking privatization of the power sector. The meeting was also attended by chief secretaries and senior officials of the Cabinet Division, ministries of Finance, Economic Affairs Division and the Planning Division.
The power generation should be provincial responsibility too. They should not have to take permission from federal government to generate power on their own. In Canada every province generates its own electricity and sells extra power to other provinces or US states.
Comments are closed.