Karachi: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari stated in Karachi that it will be impossible for his party to remain in the federal government if the central government does not fulfil its promises to provide aid to Sindh’s flood victims.
Mr. Bhutto-Zardari also objected to the manner in which the digital census was being conducted, stating that it was unacceptable for elections in one province to be based on a different census while elections in other provinces were based on a “flawed” digital census.
On Sunday, the PPP chairman expressed these reservations in his address following the inauguration of the “Subsidy Program: Reimbursement for Wheat Seed.”
Under the programme, Mr Bhutto-Zardari, whose party rules in Sindh, transferred Rs8.39 billion from the provincial budget to the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) for disbursement of Rs5,000 per acre to each small grower holding up to 12 acres of agricultural land.
Since Rs13.5bn was needed to provide relief to the flood-hit farmers through the subsidy programme, it was decided that the federal government would give Rs4.7bn grant and the remaining Rs8.39bn would be provided by the Sindh government, he said, reminding the PDM-led government in the centre of its promise.
“We will bring this issue before the National Assembly,” he said, adding that he would also speak with the prime minister about fulfilling the promises made to the flood victims; otherwise, it would be extremely difficult for the PPP to be a part of the federal government.
The PPP chairman expressed reservations about the ongoing seventh national and first-ever digital census, noting that it is being conducted at a time when general elections are expected. “How it is justified that election to one provincial assembly is held on the basis of 2018 census, while the other on the digital census,” he wondered, referring to the elections of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assemblies.
He added that the Sindh government would not support the ongoing census if the federal government did not address the objections.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, MPA Faryal Talpur, former chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Sindh chapter president of the party Nisar Khuhro, federal minister Shazia Mari and adviser to the CM Manzoor Wassan, provincial ministers, and PPP MPAs and MNAs attended the event, which was organised by the agriculture department in collaboration with BISP at CM House.
Earlier, the PPP chairman was informed that the monsoon floods destroyed 3.6 million acres of kharif crops, resulting in losses of Rs421 billion.
The chief minister stated that the disruption of the crop cycle threatened not only the economy and livelihoods, but also the nation’s food security. He stated that in order to revitalise the agriculture sector, the Sindh government planned to increase the support price of wheat and agricultural inputs.
Mr. Shah stated that Rs13.5 billion was necessary to fund the seed subsidy programme. Due to a funding impasse with the federal government and a dearth of verifiable data on farmers, the initial programme of providing free seed was reconsidered when sowing season began, he explained. He explained that the implementation strategy was changed from the provision of free seed to reimbursement of the cost of seed at Rs5,000 per acre.
As a result of the PDM government’s withdrawal, the Sindh government was forced to limit the subsidy to farmers holding up to 12.5 acres of land in the first phase and 25 acres of land in the second phase, he said, adding that he was eager to reimburse the amount in lieu of seed to all farmers, but the federal government did not honour its promise.
Following the disbursement of Rs4.227bn out of Rs8.39bn transferred by the Sindh government to the BISP, Rs4.17bn remaining with the BISP would be distributed to farmers in a second phase.
Growers’ data
The adviser to the chief minister on agriculture, Manzoor Wassan, stated that there were no authentic data on farmers, despite the fact that a large number of individuals from across the province had requested data collection.
The development of a mobile application and the training of relevant personnel in data collection and app verification, according to him, posed a significant challenge. “The verification of land documents by farmers was another issue, but all problems and challenges were overcome, and a database of growers with up to 12 and 25 acres was created,” he added.
Agriculture Secretary Aijaz Mahesar briefing the PPP chairman said the World Bank helped them to develop a mobile app. It was stated that committees were formed at the tapa level to verify land records.
Shazia Marri, a federal minister, stated that the BISP had established 110 centres at the taluka level in collaboration with HBL in order to disburse the cash through mobile accounts following biometric verification within the next ten days.
