KP govt to take up with Centre more share in NFC Award

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Tuesday decided to take up with the federal government the issues of increased share in the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award and required funds for the merged districts.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, said a handout. Provincial cabinet members, Taimur Saleem Jhagra, Shaukat Yousafzai, Fazal Shakoor Khan, Chief Secretary Shehzad Bangash, Inspector General Police, Moazzam Jah Ansari and other relevant officials attended the meeting.

The participants of the meeting pointed out that after the merger of erstwhile federally administered tribal areas into KP, the population as well as area of the province has increased considerably but the existing share of KP in the NFC Award remains unchanged.

It was decided to take up the matter of the new NFC Award with the federal government and write to the Centre for convening a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) immediately to raise the issue of net hydel profit arrears.

The meeting expressed concern over the reduction in allocations for the merged districts in the budget for the new financial year by the federal government.

The participants voiced reservations over the federal government’s indication to hand over the Sehat Card scheme of the merged districts to KP without transferring the required budget to the provincial government.

The participants expressed the resolve of the KP government to exercise all the available options to get the due rights of the province. It was decided to get a resolution passed unanimously from the provincial assembly; to hold a Jirga with the federal government on the issue and to convey in writing the concerns of the provincial government to the Centre at various levels.

The chief minister said the federal government had reduced the developmental funds of the merged districts, and indicated handing over the Sehat Card scheme of merged districts without making the required financial allocations to KP which is sheer injustice to the people of the merged districts.