ISLAMABAD – Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khurshid Shah on Monday informed the National Assembly that no amount was outstanding against any state institution for the performance of Haj 2010 by 94 government officials and all dues had been paid by their respective organisations. Responding to a question in his written statement, the minister said per haj policy, four contingents of 250 seasonal duty staff (150 from Ministry of Religious Affairs and another 100 from other ministries/divisions and provincial governments) were deputed to Saudi Arabia each year for official duty of establishing facilitation desks in main control rooms for guidance of the Pakistani pilgrims.
The minister said 100 nominations were invited from other ministries in BS-5 to BS-18, but the ministry had received only 94 nominations and the names were approved and deputed to Saudi Arabia during haj 2010 as seasonal staff.
He said an amount of Rs 144,680 was incurred on each employee of BS-5 to BS-16, while Rs 165,380 were spent on each employee of BS-17 and BS-18. He said all departments had paid their dues and no there was no outstanding payment.
Responding to another query, Shah said the government was committed to protecting the rights of minorities in the country. He said during the last three years, the Ministry of Minorities Affairs had undertaken 181 Small Development Schemes under which repair, maintenance, upgrading and renovation of religious places across the country had been undertaken from its development budget.
Shah said the Ministry of Minorities had launched a countrywide Assessment Survey to establish and ascertain the need for repair and maintenance for rehabilitation of religious places, after which 223 residential rooms and 96 pre-fabricated huts had been constructed at Gurdwara Janam Asthan of Nankana Sahib. As many as 147 rooms were added to Gurdwara Tamboo Sahib, Nankana Sahib, he added.
Besides, the minister said repair and renovation work at various religious places of minorities in Lahore, Hassanabdal, Kartarpur, Okara and Rawalpindi was carried out to provide maximum facilities to visiting “yatrees”.
Meanwhile, Minister for Industries and Production Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani informed the House that sincere efforts were being made to increase oilseed cultivation to achieve autarky in the edible oil sector.
“The domestic production is 24 percent of the total consumption and the rest of edible oil is being imported,” he said during the question-hour session. He said it was a fact that prices of cooking oil in the country had been fluctuating for last three years due to a surge in price of the commodity at the international level.
Bijarani said the Pakistan Oilseed Development Board and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture were making efforts to increase local cultivation of oilseeds to improve the edible oil production domestically. Bijarani said presently 5,700 outlets of the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) of Pakistan were operating throughout the country and providing edible items at controlled rates.
“Approximately, there are 6,000 Union Councils in the country and the government has a plan to set up utility stores in all union councils,” he said. Minister for Housing and Works Makhdoom Shahbuddin said Expression of Interests (EOIs) were being sought to launch housing schemes in small cities of the country aimed at providing inexpensive residential facilities to the common man.
“There is a need to assess the interests of locals in government housing schemes, so we are seeking EOIs from individuals and construction companies through advertisements,” he said during the question-hour session. Shahabuddin said the Pakistan Housing Authority (PHA) invited EOIs to launch first phase of the proposed five-marla housing schemes from individuals and firms having land and capacity to develop the projects in various cities of the country.
