Islamabad, August 17, 2021 (PPI-OT): 18th meeting of the Standing Committee on Planning Development and Special Initiatives was held today at 2:30 p.m. in Committee Room No.5 (Old Constitution Room), Second Floor, Parliament House, Islamabad, under the Chairmanship of Mr. Junaid Akbar, MNA.

2. The Committee unanimously confirmed minutes of its previous meeting held on 12th April, 2021. The Ministry gave a compliance report regarding the recommendations of the previous meeting. However, the Committee raised its concerns over the issues raised regarding Diamer-Bhasha Dam and Kartarpur Corridor Projects. Therefore, it was recommended that the Ministry may reconcile and provide a detailed response in that regard in the next Committee meeting.

3. The representatives of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, gave a detailed briefing on its mechanism to discourage the practice of spending development funds for the non-development expenses on recurring basis by the various ministries.

It was informed that the process of approval of such projects had been streamlined to ensure their transparency at initial phase, however, the process for proper monitoring and evaluation of the mature projects was also being improved. The Committee recommended that Key Performance Indicators for such development projects may also formulated to assess their relevance and utility.

The General Statistics (Reorganization) (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was also disposed-off by the Committee due to repeated non-attendance by the Mover. On the issue of release of funds for the affectees of Suki Kanari Hydro Power Dam Project at River Kunhar, District Mansehra, the Committee appointed a sub-committee with the following composition and Terms of Reference (TORs):

Composition:

1) Mr. Saleh Muhammad Swati, MNA (Convener)

2) Mr. Muhammad Sajjad, MNA (Member)

3) Syed Agha Rafiullah, MNA (Member)

Terms of Reference (TORs):

1) To resolve the matter referred by the Speaker’s Office on 30-06-2021 regarding release of funds for the affectees of Suki Kanari Hydro Power Dam Project at River Kunhar, District Mansehra.

2) To monitor progress of the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) on the development projects in District Mansehra and New Balakot.

4. Honorable Members/MNAs Mr. Sher Akbar Khan, Mr. Saleh Muhammad, Mr. Shaukat Ali, Syed Faiz Ul Hassan, Mr. Nawab Sher, Dr. Seemi Bukhari, Mr. Imran Khattak, Mr. Muhammad Sajjad, Mr. Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary, Mr. Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhary, Sardar Muhammad Irfan Dogar, Mr. Naveed Dero, Syed Agha Rafiullah and the Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiative along with other senior officers from the Ministry attended the meeting.

For more information, contact:
Secretary,
National Assembly of Pakistan
Automation Centre, National Assembly Secretariat,
Parliament House, Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-9221082-83
Fax: +92-51-9221106
Email: assembly@na.gov.pk
Website: www.na.gov.pk