KARACHI - The PML-F, PML-Q and NPP, ally parties of ruling PPP in Sindh government, have complained that the PPP has not consulted them on formation of provincial budget for next financial year 2012-13, which would be presented today.The leaders and lawmakers of the three ruling parties told TheNation that the PPP has ignored them in budget preparation as they were not invited in any budget preparatory meeting at the CM house.They further said that they would raise this issue before the pre-budget cabinet meeting, which will be held today with the CM in the chair, to approve the provincial budget for next fiscal year. When contacted, Advisor to CM for special education department and central leader of Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) leader Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh said that PPP has not consulted with them in formation of provincial budget.Shaikh said that he had raised the issue in last cabinet meeting, while again will raise the same problem in the cabinet meeting that is why they were being ignored by the PPP in policy-making issues. PML-F leader further said that PPP had also not consulted them on law and order issue as well as local government law.  Provincial Minister and PML-Q’s parliamentary leader Shaharyar Khan Mahar told TheNation that they were also not consulted by the PPP on budget formation process. NPP lawmaker Arif Mustafa Jatoi also confirmed that the PPP government did not solicit any suggestions from NPP or from him for inclusion in the provincial budget of 2012-13.He criticised the PPP government over not presenting the supplementary budget from the Sindh Assembly and added that it is true that supplementary budgets/revisions are not brought before the assembly as used in past. He reminded that till the last government before one unit, it was a practice that any over expenditure was approved before payment, besides several governments in the 1940’s and 1950’s had to resign due to defeat of supplementary budgets.Sadly, now the assembly is by-passed and all over expenditure is approved from assembly ex-post facto along with the next year’s budget, Jatoi said, adding that this is against democratic norms as practiced in other countries.Sharing his suggestions for next budget, NPP lawmaker emphasised on the PPP government to increase the monthly support of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) recipients from existing 1,000 rupees to 2,000 rupees per month because of inflation the value of the original payment is now less than 600 rupees, which was also pointed out in a recent World Bank report.He further recommended the government to increase subsidy on farm implements such as tractors, water sprinklers and farm implements, which directly helps farm productivity.He further proposed the government to provide tube-well connections on a fixed rate, this will reduce power theft and regularise illegal connections.For education sector, NPP lawmaker suggested to improve education by training teachers up to a minimum standard which should be uniform throughout the province. He further said that provincial government take steps to get the due share of gas to fulfill the consumption needs of the province as it is constitutional right of Sindh to use its gas on priority. He demanded that gas loadshedding in Sindh should be stopped.NPP MPA Arif Mustafa Jatoi, who is son former caretaker Prime Minister late Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, said that the energy and labour are the 2 highest costs of large scale manufacturing; they should be provided subsidized power or subsidy on each person they employ to promote the private sector. Regarding PPP government’s possible announcement to generate thousands of jobs in government sector, NPP leader said that government cannot and does not have the capacity to end unemployment through govt jobs alone.Jatoi further said that every party coming to power since 1977 had been “reducing non-development expenditures”, adding, this is a myth that by reducing “non-development expenditures” any great change can be made. In relation to the overall budget outlay, this is financially irrelevant, so the problem is poor usage of the developmental budget and corruption, this is what needs to be controlled, he added.Regarding law and order situation, NPP leader emphasized for de-politicization of the police and provide them with the equipment and salary structure to control crime. “I believe a few better paid police are better than many poorly paid police armed with AK-47s,” Arif Jatoi opined.By reviewing last four years, NPP lawmaker termed the performance of present PPP government is very poor, namely mediocre governance, oversized cabinet, multiple chains-of-command (especially at the provincial level), more slogans than actual delivery on ground.Jatoi pointed out that it is a fact that in this cabinet almost every minister uses 2-3 cars and had 1-2 police mobiles in escort. He recalled his tenure of provincial minister and said that I myself remember that only 3 ministers of my cabinet used mobile escorts, most Ministers did not even use flagged cars as it was banned by Musharraf.He further reminded that when he joined Sindh cabinet as Food Minister, the flour was Rs10 per kg, and when he left it was still only Rs11 per kg. While, the present PPP government has doubled the price of almost all food items, especially those that affect the poor, which is the real tragedy of the “Peoples” government, he concluded. 

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