ISLAMABAD - Besides discussing other important agenda items, the huge Federal Cabinet with its new inductions on Wednesday (today)will most likely give final approval to Haj Policy-2012.
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This would be the first Cabinet meeting where Faisal Saleh Hayat and Raja Pervez Ashraf would attend it.
Raja Pervez Ashraf had been deprived of his Ministerial berth in wake of Rental Power Projects (RPPs) scam.
He has also been declared responsible for corrupt practices by the apex court in the RPPs case which was also backed by PML-Q Parliamentary leader Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat.
The new entries who would attend the Federal Cabinet are mainly those Ministers who had been sent home in the previous Cabinet reshuffle in the name of ‘austerity’ while Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani had also used the move as media stunt by claiming that his government had cut the size of the Cabinet strictly in line with the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
Sources said that after the announcement of the Haj policy-2012, the authorised banks would start receiving Haj applications, as the policy has already been sent to Prime Minister Secretariat for approval.
Sources said that as per the new Haj policy the quota system for private Haj groups organisation is also likely to be continued in the current year. All Applications will be entertained at first come first serve basis, Haj applications will be divided in 3 categories (Blue, green and White), Blue category will pay tentatively 7,500 riyals and will get accommodation within 900 meters of Haram.
Sources said that the Federal Cabinet might also give the approval of Capital Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2011, which provides legitimacy to joint ventures in terms of development of City through public-private partnership.
Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani had already accorded approval to the amendment bill that was earlier approved by CDA Board in September 2011 in the backdrop of a joint venture undertaken by CDA with a cooperative housing society to develop sector northern strip of Sector E-11 and was struck down by the apex court.
According to the information, Apex court had struck E-11 joint venture on the basis of this lacuna in CDA Ordinance. But now there would be no hurdle in the authority’s way to develop stalled sectors.
It was learnt that the amendment also provides for land sharing formula with the affectees of various stalled sectors, where earlier it was optional for some sectors and compulsory for some other stalled sectors. As per the available agenda items, sources said that the performance report of Ministry of Water and Power and implementation of Cabinet decision would also be reviewed in the meeting.
The sources said that Bhoja airline crash, Siachen incident, recent bomb blast at Lahore Railway Station and other matters would come under discussion.
It is relevant to mention here that the new phase of inductions has increased the number of Federal Minister to 37, while the number of Ministers of State is now 14. With five Advisers and as many Special Assistants, the Cabinet’s size has been taken to 61 members.
