KP cabinet forms body to give Ehtesab Act more teeth

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Friday constituted a committee headed by Senior Minister Inayatullah Khan to make the Ehtesab Commission Act 2014 more effective.The decision was taken at a meeting with Chief Minister Pervez Khattak in the chair.
The committee comprising of provincial ministers Shah Farman, Atif Khan and Ali Amin Gandapur, advocate general and secretary of Law Department would consider recommendations of the Ehtesab Commission before finalising its proposed draft legislation in a week.
Briefing reporters about decisions taken in the meeting, Minister for Information Mushtaq Ghani said the cabinet approved the proposed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Whistle Blower Protection and Vigilance Act 2015 to eradicate corruption and those protecting the corrupt in the government departments.
Flanked by secretary and director information, the minister informed the media that a Vigilance Commission of three members would be constituted to conduct inquiry against the accused pointed out of the Whistleblower Commission.
He said the commission would be authorised to take documents or help from a person during the inquiry about the case under investigation.Mushtaq Ghani added that the commission could hire the services of any person it liked and seek the opinion of experts during investigation.
He stated that in cases involving public interest, initial inquiry would be conducted and formal investigation initiated on the basis of solid evidence.He said the commission would be awarded with commendation certificates plus 30 percent amount of the total recovery and fine after identification of the cases of corruption.
He said the identity of the whistleblowers would be kept secret and anyone disclosing it would be fined.According to the minister, those not cooperating with the commission would be fined Rs50,000 and given two years imprisonment. He added if anybody deliberately filed a bogus case against government officials he would be fined up to Rs100,000.
He disclosed that the cabinet also approved the draft of the KP Board of Investment and Trade Act for promotion of investment and provision of facilities of one-window operation.He said the board would ensure an environment conducive for the investors to strengthen provincial economy and generate employment opportunities.
Mushtaq Ghani, who is also minister for higher education, said the cabinet approved the Pakhtunkhwa Civil Servants (amendment) Act 2015 to overcome problems of the government employees like pension, posting and transfer and arrears.
He said the cabinet approved an amendment to the Provincial Services Academy Act 2013 to allow the board of governors to make service rules for the employees of the academy.Mushtaq Ghani said the cabinet also approved amendment to the Local Government Act 2013 under which work of the district and tehsil governments and municipal administration would be handed over to any individual, authority, firm, or the company.
He said the cabinet agreed with the proposals of the Health Department about the expenditures incurred on a patient during renal transplant, which amounted to Rs1 million to 1.8 million and approved financial grant for the ailing journalists from Rs20,000 to Rs100,000.It approved Agricultural Policy 2015 and accorded approval to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Foundation to provide assistance to the private sector for provision of better facilities.