Speaking on cut motions, opposition members criticized performance of the Power and Petroleum Division and said that government has increased the prices of gas up-to 300 percent which is affecting industrial sector as well as general public
Islamabad (Pakistan Point News / Online - 27th June, 2019) Speaking on cut motions, opposition members criticized performance of the Power and Petroleum Division and said that government has increased the prices of gas up-to 300 percent which is affecting industrial sector as well as general public.They said government did not generate even one megawatts electricity but it enhanced the prices of electricity. They said no effective steps are being taken for exploration in oil sector.
They said that the previous government PML-N generated 11,000 megawatts electricity but it did not increase the prices of electricity and gas. They called for improving the power transmission system to avoid line losses.Among others, who participated in the debate, include Naveed Qamar, Barjees Tahir, Yousuf Talpur, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Abdul Qadir Patel, Abdul Akbar Chitrali, Nafisa Shah, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Ali Pervaiz, Raza Rabbani Khar, Syed Javed Husnain, Muhammad Anwar, Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf, Rana Muhammad Ishaq Khan, Ehsanul Haq Bajwa.
The House also approved another six demands for grants relating to defence division.The National Assembly accepted multiple Demands of Grants and rejected cut motions through voice voting during the budget session on Thursday.Minister of State for Revenue Hammad Azhar had presented Demands of Grants for various institutions, divisions and ministries, while the opposition parties had moved cut motions.In all, the House rejected 323 cut motions and accepted Demands of Grants worth Rs227.
15 billion and Rs25.62bn presented by the Power Division and the Petroleum Division respectively.Earlier in the day, a ruckus erupted in the assembly after Leader of Opposition in the NA Shehbaz Sharif called Prime Minister Imran Khan a "selected prime minister" while criticising the latest spree of inflation. The speaker expunged the word selected from the proceedings but Sharif again used the word while criticising the government over the recent unprecedented devaluation of rupee against the Dollar.
The opposition leader challenged Omar Ayub Khan's statement that the PML-N had abandoned renewable energy projects to accommodate expensive LNG plants.Omar Ayub had said that the PTI government had paid Rs100 million electricity bill of the Prime Minister House for the last five year period of the PML-N government."We are paying for the wrong policies of the previous governments. The increase in the prices of gas and electricity is because of the policies of the previous governments," he claimed.
Talking about the electricity sector, he said there was an extra burden of Rs200 billion on the kitty due to the capacity charges. "We have decided not to renew the agreements with independent power producers (IPPs) after their expiry."Criticising the previous regimes, he said, "We are clearing the landmines laid by previous governments. Previous governments didn't take action against power thieves in the last year to win elections. We registered 30,000 FIRs against power theft and took action against 500 officials of the department who were also involved in it.
"He added that the previous government had blocked 250 renewable energy projects, which the incumbent regime had revived.Asad Qaiser directed the media to avoid reporting the expunged words from the proceedings. PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi also criticised the government for what he called an unprecedented increase in gas prices. He rejected the accusation that the PML-N was responsible for inflation, saying: "We didn't increase gas prices during our government.
"He claimed that there was surplus electricity and gas in the country when the PML-N's tenure had ended."The main issue is power losses. We have heard that the government wants to shift the head office to Islamabad. Such administrative measures will not resolve the problems."PPP's Abdul Qadir Patel also lambasted the PTI-led government for tariff hikes. He said that the Ministry of Energy should be renamed as the Ministry of price Hikes.The House approved another 30 demands for grants relating to finance division and foreign affairs division, rejecting all the cut motions moved by the opposition through majority vote.
Winding up discussion on these grants, Minister-in-charge for Finance Hammad Azhar said a substantial amount has been allocated for a number of projects in South Punjab. He said the government has increased budget for health and education sector. He said 35 percent more funds have been reserved for Higher Education Commission on development expenditure, while 14 billion rupees have been approved for knowledge economy. He said health budget has been enhanced from eight to 13 billion rupees.
Hammad Azhar said Federal Bureau of Revenue has done a marvelous job in just ten months by integrating data of over fifty million people. He said the government has implemented benami rules.Regarding borrowing by the PTI government, Hammad Azhar said only 2,400 billion rupees have been borrowed during last 10 months. He said foreign exchange reserves are improving, trade and current account deficits declining due to prudent economic policies of the government.
At the end, the Minister announced three honorariums for the staff of various departments, who performed duty during the budget session.The National Assembly also approved six demands for grants relating to Power and Petroleum Divisions, rejecting all the cut motions moved by the opposition through majority vote.Prime Minister Imran Khan and Opposition Leader Shahbaz Sharif also participated in the voting process. Winding up discussion on the grants, Minister for Power Division Omar Ayub Khan said 75 percent of electricity and 45 percent gas consumers will not be affected by increase in prices of these commodities.
