The National Assembly has approved four demands for grants pertaining to Interior Ministry for the next fiscal year.
These were moved by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.
Cut motions moved by the opposition on these demands for grants were rejected by the house.
Winding up discussion on the cut motions, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry highlighted reforms carried out in different departments of the Interior Ministry.
Referring to Pakistan’s sacrifices in the war on terror, he expressed the government’s firm commitment for peace in the country by eradicating the menace of terrorism. He said that NACTA and Provincial Intelligence Fusion and Threat Assessment Centers have been made functional.
Talal Chaudhary said the government has significantly strengthened its immigration and passport verification system, resulting in a forty-seven percent reduction in illegal migration from the country to various destinations worldwide.
The Minister of State for Interior said arrangements are being made to ensure that the passport facility is also available at NADRA offices.
Talal Chaudhry stated that the federal capital will become Pakistan’s first smart city, featuring a comprehensive e-governance system aimed at delivering efficient civic services to the people.
The House has also approved three demands for grants pertaining to the National Food Security and Research Division for the next financial year.
These were moved by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.
Cut motions moved by the opposition on these demands for grants were rejected by the House.
Winding up the discussion on the cut motions, Minister for National Food Security and Research, Rana Tanveer Hussain, said the agriculture sector has the potential to turn around the economy. He said the provinces are investing 200 billion rupees to strengthen the agricultural sector.
The Minister further said the government has abolished all kinds of duties on agricultural machinery in the next fiscal year’s budget.
Rana Tanveer Hussain said steps are also being taken for technology transfer, value addition, establishment of silos, and provision of climate-resilient quality seeds and reduction of post-harvest losses.
The House has also approved three demands for grants pertaining to the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division for the next financial year.
These were moved by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.
Cut motions moved by the opposition on these demands for grants were rejected by the House.
Winding up the discussion on the cut motions, Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Syed Imran Ahmad Shah said that the government is providing education and healthcare support to deserving families under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). He added that special priority is being given to Balochistan.
The minister said a digital wallet system has been introduced to ensure transparency in the disbursement of BISP payments. Similarly, Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal has also been digitized. He further said that two million out of 2.8 million out-of-school children have been enrolled through BISP initiatives.
The House will now meet tomorrow at eleven in the morning.
