ISLAMABAD: National Assembly (NA) has approved charged expenditure
amounting to Rs over 7.34 trillion with majority vote in respect of 20
different departments and institutions.
Charged expenses
include Rs 2.05 billion for superannuation allowances and pensions, Rs
over 6.19 trillion for repayment of domestic debt, Rs over 76.30
billion for repayment of foreign debt, Rs 1.38 billion for election and
Rs over 2.30 billion for audit of government department.
Finance
Minister presented details of charged expenses in NA Friday. These
expenses include Rs 9 billion for grants in aid and miscellaneous
adjustments between the federal and provincial governments, Rs 340
million for other expenses of foreign affairs division, over Rs 134
million for civil works, over Rs 749.1 million for national assembly,
Rs 130 million for post office, over Rs 571.8 million for senate, over
Rs 9.02 billion for Pakistan Railways, over Rs 49.64 billion for
repayment of external development loan and advances by the federal
government, over Rs 482 million for staff household and allowances of
the president, Rs 76.30 billion for servicing of foreign debt, Rs
243179173000 for repayment of foreign loans, Rs 36.22 billion for
repayment of short term foreign credits, over Rs 2.30 billion for
audit, Rs 986.5 million for supreme court, Rs 212. 1 million for
Islamabad High Court, Rs 273.2 million for Wafaqi Mohtasib and Rs 91
million for Federal Tax Ombudsman.
Opening the debate over
demand for grants, JUI-F legislator Asia Nasir said government could
not run Pakistan Railways therefore, it be privatized.
Zahid
Hamid of PML-N said government was acquiring enormous loans from banks
and due to this reason private sector was not being provided loans.
Tremendous
increase in Aiwan-e-Sadr expenses was matter of serious concern, he
said. Government should curtail these expenses, he demanded.
Sardar Mehtab Abbasi said railway was national asset which was sinking,.
Gen (Retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch said allocating billion of rupees for railways was sheer wastage of national wealth.
Chaudhry Saud Majid demanded government should spend Baitul Mal funds on the poor.
Concluding
the debate minister for water and power Naveed Qamar said major chunk
of loans is spent on payment of interest on loans. Government had
overcome its expenses to considerable extent, he added. Online
