Questions for Oral Answers and Their Replies”

(35th Session)

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SECRETARIAT

—————

“QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWERS AND THEIR REPLIES”

to be asked at a sitting of the National Assembly to be held on

Monday, the 17th October, 2011

(Originally Starred Question Nos. 8, 14 and 15 were set down for answer during the 34th Session)

8. *Sheikh Salahuddin:

Will the Minister for Textile Industry be pleased to state:

(a) the steps taken during the year 2010-11 for development of Textile Industry; and

(b) the achievements gained therefrom so far?

Minister for Textile Industry (Makhdoom Shahabuddin): (a) During the financial year 2010-11, Ministry of Textile Industry initiated various scheme for the promotion and development of Textile Industry, which involves short term and long term initiative, these are indicated as under;

i. Financial Support Measures ii. Human Resource Development Schemes iii. Infrastructure Development Schemes

I. Financial Support Measures

In order to compensate the cost of production, the Govt. has provided financial support to the Textile Sector under different schemes, which are as under,

• Export Finance Mark-Up Rate Facility 2

• Mark-up Rate Support • Drawback of Local Taxes & Levies • Refund of Past R&D Claims • Monetization of PTA

During financial Year 2010-11, an amount of Rs. 7.5 billion has been disbursed under these schemes. Disbursement of funds under these schemes is directly handled by State Bank of Pakistan.

ii. Human Resource Development Schemes

Govt. has initiated following schemes in order to cover up the gap of skilled human resource.

• International Labour Organization (ILO)

Women Workers Training Program was executed in collaboration with International Labour Organization (ILO) and Ministry of Labour & Manpower. Through this Program, 600 women workers were trained in Karachi, Lahore & Faisalabad.

• Stitching Machine Operators Training (SMOT)

Stitching Machine Operators Training (SMOT) Program was launched in the last quarter of 2008. It is being run in various textile units of Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad & Rawalpindi. Under this phase 1242 persons have been trained out of which 1187 have been appointed by the units concerned.

* A comprehensive scheme of training of 5 lac skilled workers has been prepared which would cost Rs. 5 billion. Scheme is in finalization process.

• Establishment of Garment Technology Institute

Garment Technology Training Centre is being established in Karachi in collaboration with Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). Institute is likely to be inaugurated in December, 2011. 3 iii. infrastructure Development Schemes

To support the textile industry value chain, the Ministry has initiated following schemes:

i. Faisalabad Garment City, revised total cost of the project is Rs.573.53 million. 90% work of the project has been done and the project will be completed in June, 2012)

ii. Pakistan Textile City, is spread over 1250 acres in the vicinity of Port Qasim, Karachi. The sale of plots has been started.

iii. Stitching Machine Operators Training (SMOT) Program.

iv. Pak-Korea Garment Technology Institute is a Rs. 300 million project with assistance of KOICA. This project will help to produce trained human resource for the garments and fashion industry. Institute is likely to be inaugurated Oct. 2011.

v. Lahore Garment City Company, total revised cost of LGCC is Rs.586.88 million.90% work of the project has been done and the project will be completed in December, 2011.

(b) • Textile exports have risen to $13.907 billion which is 34.53% over and above the last year.

• Financial support schemes provided some relief to textile exports in reducing cost of production to make exports competitive in international markets.

• Employment opportunities are generated.

14. *Mr. Mohammad Pervaiz Malik:

Will the Minister for Housing and Works be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is fact that the housing schemes launched during the last three years for the Federal Government employees have not been completed so far; if so, the reasons thereof; 4

(b) whether it is also a fact that huge amount had been paid by those employees in such schemes; if so, the details thereof alongwith the utilization of such amount at present;

(c) whether it is further a fact that certain malpractices and embezzlement had been reported in the execution of such schemes, if so, the detail thereof alongwith action taken against the responsibles; and

(d) the steps being taken to execute such schemes in letter and spirit?

Reply not received.

15. *Raja Muhammad Asad Khan:

Will the Minister for Textile Industry be pleased to state:

(a) the loss suffered by Textile Industry due to gas laodshedding in the country particularly in the Punjab province; and

(b) the steps taken so far to overcome the said loss?

Minister for Textile Industry (Makhdoom Shahabuddin): (a) (1) Gas load shedding for textile sector in Punjab is two days per week. There are careful estimates that potential production impact is between 30-35% loss of textile manufacturing meant for exports across the value chain.

(2) Ministry has taken up this matter with relevant authorities. It is stated that since there is an over all shortage of gas and electricity in the country, so all the sector of economy are to feel the affect of this shortfall. However relevant authorities have assured Ministry of Textile Industry that textile sector will be accommodated in every possible way so that minimum effect of this shortage is felt by the textile sector.

(b) As above. 5 @70. *Mrs. Shagufta Sadiq:

Will the Minister for Production be pleased to state:

(a) the year-wise ratio of increase made in per ton price of iron in the country during the last four years till date; and

(b) the steps being taken to control the price of iron?

Minister for Production (Mr. Anwar Ali Cheema): (a) The year wise ratio of increase/decrease made in price of the steel products of Pakistan Steel during last four years is as under :— —————————————————————————————— 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 —————————————————————————————— +73.54% -27.58% +35.70% +9.18% ——————————————————————————————

The year wise ratio of increase/decrease made in cost of products of Pakistan Steel is as under :— (% increase) —————————————————————————————— Year Finished Cast Rolled H.R C.R Galvenized Slab Billet Billet Coil/Sheet Coil/Sheet Production ———————————————————————————————————————— 2007-08 47 44 44 39 36 27 2008-09 197 189 197 170 158 121 2009-10 138 137 146 124 128 111 2010-11 170 163 — 158 167 152 —————————————————————————————— Reasons: Price of raw material e.g iron ore, coking coal and ferroalloys for producing steel. as well as freight charges for shipping are continuously on the increase in international market. Further the depreciation of rupee against US Dollar, increase in utility charges (electricity, water. gas fuel) and the increase in the wages of employees have also contributed to the increase of production cost.

(b) Steps are being taken to increase the share of Pakistan Steel in the steel market by expansion of the mill. Further, efforts for using local iron ore in Pakistan Steel Mills are being taken on fast track basis. All these steps will ultimately reduce per ton cost of production. —————————————————————————————— @ Transferred from Industries Division. 6 71. *Mr. Muhammad Riaz Malik:

Will the Minister for Housing and Works be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that the Prime Minister announced to give houses on ownership basis to the homeless persons of the country at the beginning of tenure of his government;

(b) if so, the total number of such houses constructed/allotted during the last four financial years till date; and

Minister for Housing and Works (Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat): (a) Yes, Prime Minister has announced in his first speech on National Assembly floor for launching of schemes for homeless citizens and government employees.

(b) Under the Prime Minister’s Housing Program PHA has constructed apartments for Low-paid FG employees (BPS 1-16) and general public too. These apartments have been sold on ownership basis in Islamabad and Lahore till now. Detail are as follows: —————————————————————————————— Sr. No. Project Type Eligibility No. of Apartments ———————————————————————————————————————— 1. G-10/2 Isb. D BPS 11-16 272 D Gen. Public 96

2. G-11/3 Isb. E BPS 1-10 400 C Gen. Public 208

3. I-11/3 Isb. D Gen. Public 104

4. Wafaqi Colony Lhr. D BPS-11-16 30 Gen. Public 30

E BPS-1-16 30 Gen. Public 30

5. Shabbir Town Lahore B Gen. Public 32

6. Wafaqi Colony Lahore Executive Gen. Public 60 Apartments ———————————————————————————————————————— 7 —————————————————————————————— Sr. No. Project Type Eligibility No. of Apartments ————————————————————————————————————————

7. Wafaqi Colony Lahore D Gen. Public 16

8. Wafaqi Colony Lahore E 08 ———————————————————————————————————————— Total: 1316 ————————————————————————————————————————

• only those federal government employees were eligible to apply who had minimum 40 years of age.

• minimum 10 years of service.

• Submission of option forms in PHA stating Isiamabad or Lahore as first option city in the housing schemes launched in Islamabad or Lahore.

PHA invited option forms from all federal government employees to evaluate the requirement of land and possibility of accommodating the applicants according to their preference of city. Detail of option forms received is as under:

—————————————————————————————— Sr. Grade/Scale No. of option forms —————————————————————————————— 1. BPS 1-16 174871

2. BPS 17-19 33448

3. BPS 20-22 3288 —————————————————————————————— Total 211607 ——————————————————————————————

Afterwards PHA launched its pilot project for low paid federal government employees (BPS 1-16) at G-10/2 & G-11/3, Islamabad and Wafaqi Colony Lahore. Allotment has been made through computerized balloting. 8 72. *Mrs. Nisar Tanveer:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state:

(a) the detail of taxes and levies being charged upon the electricity bills at present alongwith the ratio and justification thereof;

(b) whether it is also a fact that Nelam Jhelum surcharge is also being charged from the consumers; if so, the date of levying the said surcharge alongwith ratio thereof;

(c) the total amount collected as on 30th June, 2011 under the head of Nelam Jhelum surcharge alongwith the utilization thereof; and

(d) the steps being taken to rationalize the rates of taxes and other levies being charged upon electricity bills at present?

Minister for Water and Power (Syed Naveed Qamar): —————————————————————————————— (a) Taxes Detail of Taxes ———————————————————————————————————————— Neelum Neelum Jhelum surcharge is charges @ Rs.0.10/kwh on the consumption of Jhelum electricity bill of every category of consumer except the lifeline domestic Surcharge consumer (A).

General GST under section 3 of Sales Tax Act 1990 is levied on all consumers @ 17% Sale Tax of the bill. However, in case of residential lifeline ( upto 100 Units) & agricultural consumer, the impact of GST on bills is revenue neutral, i..e. burden of GST is picked up by GoP ( viz no additional burden is added to the consumers of these categories).

Income Advance income Tax / Withholding Tax is deducted on the monthly Tax electricity bills to all Commercial and Industrial consumers as per Division-IV of Part-IV of first Schedule to the Income Tax Ordinance 2001. (Annex — A

Electricity ED is a provincial duty and levy ranging I% to 1.5% of variable charges. Duty (ED) ——————————————————————————————

(b) Neelum Jhelum Surcharge is being charged from all the categories of consumers @ 0.10 kwh w.e.f. January 2008 till 31st December 2015 except lifeline consumers. This surcharge shall be deposited in a fund called “Neelum Jhelum 9 Hydro Power Development Fund” to be kept in the ESCROW Account of the Neelum Jhelum Company for exclusive use of the Neelum Jhelum Hydro Power Project.

(c) The total amount collected from Feb; 20-08 to 30th Jun; 2011 is Rs 17,606,807 million (Annex-B) and 10% Neelum Jhelum Surcharge received has been utilized on NJHPC upto 30-6-2011.

(d) Following steps are being, taken to rationalize the electricity rates: (i) Installation of Hydel and coal power plants. (ii) Capacity improvement in power generation and consumption Mix. (iii) Improvement in the efficiency of power plants. (iv) Improvement in recovery position. Annex-A

RATE OF ADVANCE TAX DEDUCTABLE ON MONTHLY ELECTRICITY BILLS OF COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL CONSUMERS U/S 235 OF INCOME TAX ORDINANCE 2001. —————————————————————————————— Effective Date: 01-07-2010 —————————————————————————————— Amount of Electricity Bill (Rs) Tax (Rs) —————————————————————————————— 0-400 N/A 401-600 80 601-800 100 801-1000 160 1001-1500 300 1501-3000 350 3001-4500 450 4501-6000 500 6001-10,000 650 10,000-15,000 1,000 15,000-20,000 1,500 Above 20,000 10% of bill —————————————————————————————— In case of Industrial consumer’s bill exceeds As. 20,000/- 5% of bill —————————————————————————————— 10 Annex-B DISCO Wise Detail of NIS —————————————————————————————— Sr. Company 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 Total No. ——————————————————————————————————————————— 1. LESCO 481,089,530 1.285,060,493 1,226,217,538 1,420,568,430 4,412,935,991 2. GEPCO 190,947,850 549,827,189 547,938,439 602,784,981 1,891,498,469 3. FESCO 306,066,089 785,748,376 755,190,334 808,490,903 2,655,495,792

4. IESCO 213,229,706 605,710,006 632,029,944 584,456,342 2,035,425,998 5. MEPCO 302,211,237 853,729,728 896,648,121 928,924,945 2,981,514,031 6. PESCO 192,890,005 490,290,878 529,566,907 544,995,754 1,757,243,544

7. HESCO 112,768,563 295,824,467 298,163,152 282,367,230 989,123,412 8. SEPCO — — — 21,866,580 21,866,588 9. QESCO 121,142,381 291,185,997 308,355,874 141,019,421 861,703,673 ——————————————————————————————————————————— Total 1,920,345,361 5,157,377,134 5,194,110,309 5,334,974,684 17,606,807,488 ———————————————————————————————————————————

73. *Mian Marghoob Ahmad:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state the steps taken to control the loadshedding of electricity in the country since March, 2008 till date?

Minister for Water and Power (Syed Naveed Qamar): Hectic efforts are being made by Government of Pakistan to end / reduce the load shedding in the country therefore two prong policy has been adopted by taking different measures both on supply side and demand side simultaneously.

Supply side measures New Power Plants The following new power plants have been added in the system since March 2008:— —————————————————————————————— Sr.# Name of Project Capacity in MW —————————————————————————————— 1. Malakand-III 81 2. Attock Gen Limited 163 —————————————————————————————— 11 —————————————————————————————— Sr.# Name of Project Capacity in MW —————————————————————————————— 3. Atlas Power Project 219 4. Engro Power Project 216 5. Saif Power Project 225 6. Orient Power Project 225 7. Nishat Power Ltd. 200 8. Nishat (Chunian) Project 200 9. Sapphire Electric Power 225 10. Liberty Power Tech. 200 11. Foundation Power Project Dherki. 202 12. Hub Power Narowal. 225 13. Halmore Power Project 225 14. Chashma Nuclear Power Unit-2 (C-2) 300 15. Khan Khawar HPP 72 16. Gulf (Rental) 62 17. Karkay Rental 232 18. Rental Samundri 60 19. Naudero-I 45 —————————————————————————————— Sub-total 3377 ——————————————————————————————

The Hydro Electric power plants laid as under will be connected to the National Grid in 2012-13:— —————————————————————————————— Sr. # Name of Project Capacity in MW —————————————————————————————— 1. Allai Khawar 121 2. Duber Khawar 130 3. Jinnah Hydro Power Project 96 4. Gomal Zam 17 5. Satpara 17 —————————————————————————————— Total 381 —————————————————————————————— 12 Public Sector (PEPCO) has also been allowed to install Thermal Power Plants. which are expected in next 2-3 years:— —————————————————————————————— Sr. # Name of Project Capacity in MW —————————————————————————————— 1. Nandipur 425 2. Chichoki Mallian 525 3. Guddu 750 4. UAE gifted power plant at Faisalabad 320 —————————————————————————————— Total 2020 ——————————————————————————————

Demand side measures

Propose saving in energy conference held in April, 2010. The measure adopted in consequence to the energy conference decisions yielded encouraging results, which are:—

i. Public awareness campaign through electronic and print media.

ii. Closure of all decoration and ceremonial lights.

iii. Closure of business/commercial activities at 8 PM and maximum use of day light.

iv. Staggering of weekly holidays in industry.

v. Cutting of power consumption in Government offices by not using Air Condition before 11 AM and stoppage of unauthorized use of Air Condition and other high consumption utilities by unauthorized officials.

74. *Ms. Nighat Parveen Mir:

Will the Minister for Industries be pleased to state:

(a) the total quantity of sugar purchased for the Utility Stores for the current year 2011-12; 13 (b) the rate of sugar per KG being sold at Utility Stores at present; and

(c) Whether it is a fact that sugar is being pilfered from those stores; if so, the steps being taken to control the said pilfer?

Minister for Industries (Ch. Pervaiz Ellahi): (a) The total quantity of Sugar purchased by USC during the current year (January 2011 to September 2011) is 3, 00,000 M/Tons.

(b) The Sugar at Utility Stores is being sold on subsidized rate of Rs. 55/- per kg.

To control the pilferage and black marketing of Sugar, the following actions have been taken:

(a) The transportation of Sugar from Karachi to USC Regions is closely monitored.

(b) The Chief Secretaries of the Provinces have been requested to monitor the sale and distribution of Sugar through the DCOs in each province. The DCOs have also been requested to keep a watch on the sale of the Sugar at Utility Stores so as to ensure that it reaches to the targeted customers.

(c) The sale and distribution of Sugar is also been monitored by the Vigilance Department of the Corporation headed by a Senior General Manager.

(d) Packing of Sugar is being made in combination of 5 kg. and 2 kg. One packet of Sugar is sold to one customer at a time.

(e) National Identity Cards of the customers are checked at the time of sale of Sugar.

(f) A poster/chart showing the price of Sugar at Rs.55/- per kg. is prominently displayed at each Store. 14 (g) Separate Counter at big stores for male and female have been arranged.

(h) The quantity of Sugar being provided at each Store is prominently displayed.

75. *Rana Mahmood -ul- Hassan:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state:

(a) the year-wise electricity generated by Thermal and Hydro Power Projects during the year 2002-03 till date;

(b) the year-wise consumption of electricity during the said period;

(d) the reasons of drastic increase in the prices of electricity since March, 2008 till date?

Minister for Water and Power (Syed Naveed Qamar): (a) (b) & (c) —————————————————————————————— Part - a Part - b Part - c Financial year —————————————————————————————————— Electricity Generated (MKWH) Electricity Average per unit —————————————————— Consumption price of HYDEL THERMA TOTAL (MKWH) electricity sold (Rs. KWh) ——————————————————————————————————————————— 2002-03 22318 40302 62620 57729 3.95 2003-04 27386 . 40279 67665 62579 4.02 2004-05 25251 46405 71656 69099 3.99 2005-06 30477 49918 80395 77120 4.05 2006-07 31379 54412 85791 82718 4.25 2007-08 28353 55925 84278 81633 4.63 2008-09 27887 53998 81885 79800 5.44 2009-10 28178 58910 87088 84396 6.30 2010-11 31950 58570 90520 87782 7.09 2011-12 upto Aug. 2011) 7068 11598 18666 18131 7.66 ——————————————————————————————————————————— TOTAL 260247 470317 730564 700987 ——————————————————————————————————————————— 15 (d) The reasons of drastic increase in the prices of electricity since March 2008 till date:

• There are several factors, which influence the electricity prices, which includes variation of input costs e.g. furnace oil & gas prices, currency fluctuation and inflation. At present, while there is energy shortage in the country and hydel resources are not sufficient to meet with the increased demand of electricity, consequently generation is being made on thermal resources (oil based energy) which lead to unfavorable generation mix. Moreover increase in oil prices, increase in inflation also contribute towards increase in electricity rates.

• Prices of furnace oil & gas, along with PKR-US$ parity rate and CPI for Mar: 2008 & Sep: 2011 are as follows: —————————————————————————————— March 2008 September 2011 —————————————————————————————— Furnace Oil Rs. 35,156/M.ton Rs. 64,742/M.ton Gas Rs. 252/MMBTU Rs. 394/MMBTU PKR parity with 1US$ Rs. 62.85 Rs.88.50 Consumer price index 163.38 259.15 (Jul: 2011) ——————————————————————————————

It is however added that NEPRA determines the electricity tariff as regulator, based on cost of supply, it takes all stakeholders on board through public hearing. However, due to its public police decisions and socio-economic conditions, GoP notifies low tariff as compared to tariff determined by NEPRA and the same is being charged to consumers. Gap between determined tariff by NEPRA and notified by Government is paid by GoP as subsidy.

76. *Ms. Shireen Arshad Khan:

Will the Minister for Industries be pleased to state:

(a) the steps being taken to reduce the prices of cars being manufactured in the country;

(b) whether it is a fact that the material being used in those cars is sub-standard/defective; if so, the reasons therefor; and 16 (c) the steps being taken to improve the said material?

Minister for Industries (Ch. Pervaiz Ellahi): (a) All car / automobile manufacturers are in the private sector as such prices are governed by market mechanism only and Government has no control on any price fixation. Government’s role is to provide Policy framework including tariff and non-tariff policy measures.

(b) All the car manufacturers are operating under technical collaboration agreements with their foreign principals and the material being used by them is as per specifications provided by their principals.

77. *Raja Muhammad Asad Khan:

Will the Minister for Textile Industry be pleased to state:

(a) the present status of the establishment of garments cities in Faisalabad and Lahore; and

(b) the targets to be achieved after the establishment of those garments cities?

Minister for Textile Industry (Makhdoom Shahabuddin): (a) PRESENT STATUS

Faisalabad Garment City Company

More than 90% work of FGCC is completed. It comprises of two categories of buildings. Details are as under:—

 Cat “A” Building 100% Completed.  Cat “B” Building 90% Completed.  Other facilities are near completion.

Lahore Garment City Company

 90% work of the project has been completed. Cat. “A” and Cat. “B” buildings will be ready for leasing out by the end of October, 2011. 17 (b) Faisalabad Garment City Company.

 About 100 Jobs during implementation period.

 About 9000 jobs will be created directly.

 Revenue in the form of rent & taxes for the Government.

 It will prove a source of social uplift in the area.

Lahore Garment City Company

 The project will provide ready-made factory space as well as in house training centres, testing laboratories, exhibition halls and other facilities according to the international standards of social compliance.

 It will provide facilities and necessary infrastructure to the textile sector with a view to promote the export of value-added garments, made-ups and accessories.

 The factory buildings with internal and external development services will be rented out to the export oriented garment manufacturers at the prevailing market rates in a transparent manner.

78. *Mr. Mohammad Pervaiz Malik:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that a sum of Rs.780.00 million is being paid to the Turkish Power Rental Ship Karkey on monthly basis under an agreement signed during the year 2009;

(b) whether it is also a fact that the above-mentioned Power Plant is producing only 30 Megawatts electricity at present; if so, the reasons thereof; and

(c) whether it is further a fact that massive corruption and mismanagement have been reported in the said Power Plant; if so, the steps taken to root out corruption and mismanagement therefrom? 18 Minister for Water and Power (Syed Naveed Qamar): (a) Yes, it is a fact that a sum of Rs. 780.00 million is being paid to Karkey Ship Mounted Rental Power Plant on account of Rental Services Fee as per RSC.

(b) The Karkey Rental Power Plant is producing 51 MW (Average) at present. As per RSC Clause 4.5 (m) Fuel Payment Letter of Credit (FPLC) is required to be opened w.e.f. 20-04-2011. The value of FPLC worked out is PKR 5.00 billion (Approx:). It is contractual obligation, of LPGCL to open and maintain FPLC in favour of SELLER for the smooth operation of plant, whereas in spite of hectic efforts of LPGCL and MoWP no Bank has still offered any terms for the establishment of FPLC in view of excessive exposure of the banks with the power sector.

(c) The KARKEY Rental Power Plant has been awarded through International Competitive Bidding. No corruption or mismanagement has been reported so far. All the terms & conditions of the RSC are being followed strictly.

79. *Mrs. Belum Hasnain:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that heavy water loss has been reported during the last three years at different head-works of the country due to lack of monitoring mechanism;

(b) if so, the steps being taken to reduce the water loss in the country at present?

Minister for Water and Power (Syed Naveed Qamar): (a) According to IRSA record pertaining to Indus and Jhelum-Chenab Zones, during last three years average losses (Khrif and Rabi Season) is as under:— —————————————————————————————— Season Indus Zone Jhelum-Chenab Zone ————————————————————— MAF % (MAF) % —————————————————————————————— Kharif 20.068 -23 4.106 -11 Rabi 2.611 -13 0.867 -7 —————————————————————————————— 19 The water loss reported in the Indus Zone is relatively higher than Jhelum- Chenab Zone due to the reason that Indus Zone comprises of 947 miles long distribution system with arid hydrogeology of the area. The Jhelum- Chenab zone is relatively narrow and shorter in length with perennial availability of water in the system.

(b) Regarding the improvement of monitoring mechanism and facilitation of gathering of physical data and gauging of availability of water at various control points and to ensure transparency, IRSA has planned to upgrade Telemetry System. However, officers are already posted on reciprocal basis by the provinces for physical Monitoring at the Barrages. IRSA makes every effort to judiciously release water and route it in such a way so as to minimize the losses.

80. *Mr. Salahuddin:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that the tariff of electricity is being increased consistently; if so, the reasons thereof; and

(b) the criteria being adopted to fix the tariff of electricity at present?

Minister for Water and Power (Syed Naveed Qamar): (a) Tariff of electricity is mainly affected by fuel price. During last five years, the price of RFO has increased by 227% (Rs. 20262 to Rs. 66273 per ton) and that of gas by 66% (Rs.238 to Rs.394 per MMBTU). On top of that gas supply became constrained. Thus gas operated plants too have to be fired on RFO. Thus tariff increases with the increase in price of RFO and also decreases whenever the prices fall. Under this mechanism, the tariff decreased in months from August 2010 to December 2010 and February 2011, while the tariff increased in remaining months of FY 2010-11.

The above increase or decrease is determined by NEPRA.

(b) NEPRA being the regulatory body determines the electricity tariff, based on legitimate cost of supply and it takes all stake holders on board through public hearing for determination of tariff. The tariff is determined by NEPRA in the first instance on the basis of following:

1. Power purchase cost. 2. O&M Cost of DISCO. 20 Subsequently the tariff is adjusted upward or downward with increase or decrease of fuel cost.

However, Government of Pakistan notifies the tariff by considering the paying capacity of mass and socio-economic conditions of the country, which remains less than the tariff determined by NEPRA. The difference is being subsidized by Government of Pakistan. At present this difference is Rs. 1.99 per kWh.

81. *Mr. Sajid Ahmed:

Will the Minister for Religious Affairs be pleased to state:

(a) the total number of dispensaries established, by the Ministry so far in Makkha Mokarma and Madina Munawwara; and .

(b) the criteria adopted for provision of free of cost medical treatment by the said Dispensaries?

Minister for Religious Affairs (Syed Khurshid Ahmad Shah): (a) One Field Hospital consisting of 35 beds and 13 dispensaries in different sectors have been established by Pakistan Hajj Medical Mission in consultation with D.G (Hajj) Jeddah in Makkah Mukarramah. Similarly, one main hospital consisting of 15 beds and 4 dispensaries has been established in Madina Munawwarah for provision of medical coverage to Pakistani Hujjaj. Similarly building covering 1000 Hujjaj have a first aid centre manned by a doctor or a paramedic for immediate relief to the Hujjaj.

(b) Free medical coverage is provided to all Pakistani Hujjaj during their stay in Saudi Arabia without any discrimination.

82. *Mr. Sajid Ahmed:

Will the Minister for Religious Affairs be pleased to state the steps taken since March, 2008 till date to reform the education system of Deeni Maddaris alongwith the results achieved therefrom so far?

Minister for Religious Affairs (Syed Khurshid Ahmad Shah): (i) After abolition of the concurrent list through 18th Constitutional Amendment, the subject of “Islamic Education” has been devolved and transferred to the provinces. 21 Now, it has become a provincial subject. At Federal level the Deeni Madaris of ICT are being looked after by the interior Division. Presently, the three Model Deeni Madaris are functioning under the Pakistan Madrasah Education Board (PMEB), Ministry of Religious Affairs. The detail is as under:—

(a) Model Deeni Madrasah (for Girls), Islamabad. (b) Model Deeni Madrasah (for Boys), Sukkur. (c) Model Deeni Madrasah (for Boys), Karachi.

(ii) The previous Government was negotiating Madrasah Reform with the ITMP (Itehad-e-Tanzeemat-e-Madaris Pakistan) but no tenable results could be achieved. The present Government took-up the matter and discussed the achievement of focused goals in respect of Madrasahs. The Madrasah Reform policy of the Government was to achieve the following objectives:

(a) Progress on registration of Madrasahs, (b) Rationalization of the Syllabus and (c) Mainstreaming of the Madrasahs.

(iii) So far as the registration under the Societies Registration Act 1860 was concerned, the figure of Madrasahs registered upto August, 2011 stood at 10,973. It may be submitted that in addition to these registered Madrasahs, there were 8749 number of Madrasahs which had been registered prior to promulgation of Ordinance 2005. The progress in this behalf is satisfactory and most of the Madrasahs stood registered.

(iv) So far as the rationalization of syllabus is concerned, the aim of the Government was to ensure introduction of contemporary education in the Madrasahs so as to broaden the knowledge-base of the students which ultimately make them more useful citizens of the country. The ITMP, after negotiation with the Government agreed to introduce compulsory contemporary subjects at Matric and Intermediate level.

(v) The main agenda of Madrasah Reform was relating to mainstreaming of the Madrasahs and dove-tailing them with the existing educational system. The ITMP insisted on extension of recognition of their five Wafaqs/ Tanzeemat as full- fledged Boards. The Government after considering various options agreed to the demand of the ITMP, provided a Regulatory Authority which was established over and above these proposed Boards to oversee the functioning of the Boards as well as the Madrasahs, affiliated with them. 22 (vi) An agreement between the Government of Pakistan (Ministry of Interior) and ITPM had been signed on 7th of October, 2010 which contained a comprehensive Madrasah Reform with a direction towards achievement of goals fixed by the Government. As per said agreement, negotiation with regard to determining the contours of the Regulatory Authority are being carried out by a Sub-Committee consisting of two Government nominees and two representatives of the ITMP. It is hoped that soon these issues would be resolved.

83. *Ms. Tahira Aurangzeb:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state:

(a) whether there is any proposal under consideration to charge 100% line losses from the electricity consumers;

(b) if so, the reasons thereof alongwith the authority who suggested the said proposal?

Minister for Water and Power (Syed Naveed Qamar): (a) There is no such proposal under consideration to charge 100% line losses from the electricity consumers.

(b) Not applicable.

84. *Begum Nuzhat Sadiq:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state whether there is any proposal under consideration to import electricity from abroad in order to meet the shortage in the country; if so, the details thereof?

Minister for Water and Power (Syed Naveed Qamar): • 39 MW electricity is already being imported, which is likely to enhance upto 70MW consequent upon the recent meeting between representatives of M/s Tavanir–Iran and NTDC held on 18-06-2011.

• Furthermore, work is in progress on two more projects to import electricity from TAVANIR Iran as noted below:—

(f) 100 MW at Gawadar Agreement has been signed in 2007 and project is expected to become functional in 2012.

(g) 1000 MW at National Grid (from Zahidan-Iran to Quetta) for which tariff is expected to be agreed in next “JWG meeting. 23

• Feasibility Report has been completed for supply of 1000 MW electricity from Tajikistan and Kyrgystan under CASA-1000 Project. The project is expected to be completed by 2016.

• India also intends to sell electricity to Pakistan, in this regard a working group has been constituted by Ministry of Water and Power Government of Pakistan vide letter dated 01-07-2011, to under take the assignment of import of electric from India to Pakistan as a consequence of Commerce Secretary level talks held between Pakistan and India on 27th-28th April, 2011.

85. *Ms. Khalida Mansoor:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state whether there is any proposal under consideration to impose ban for a specified period on the provision of new connections of electricity; if so, when it will be implemented?

Minister for Water and Power (Syed Naveed Qamar): It is intimated that there is no such proposal under consideration.

86. *Ms. Shahnaz Saleem:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state:

(a) the performances made by Rental Power Plants in the country since 1-1-2010 till date; and

(b) whether it is a fact that the total payment of those Power Plants has been made; if so, the details thereof alongwith the procedure being adopted for monitoring of those Power Plants?

Minister for Water and Power (Syed Naveed Qamar): (a) Rental Power Plants in the country supplied electricity to National Grid since 01-01-2010 till date as given below:— 24 —————————————————————————————— Name Energy (MkWh) —————————————————————————————— RPP Sharaqpur 11.847 RPP Bhikki 74.902 Gulf Rental Eminabad 510.397 Techno Power, Summandri 27.328 Karkey 129.431 Walter Power (Naudero) 22.519 —————————————————————————————— Total 776.424 ——————————————————————————————

(b) So long as the rental plant operates according to contract, the energy payment (Fuel Cost) is paid according to energy supplied.

The rental period is from 3-5 years. The rental payment is made on monthly basis after deducing advance payment and penalty if any. Therefore it is not true that total payment has been made to these plants.

The rental plant is penalized for bad performance as below:—

1. On duration of capacity detected during 6 monthly operational test, the rental payment is reduced proportionality.

2. If availability is found below guaranteed availability, penalty is impose at 1.5 times rental payment of un-available hours.

3. If availability drops below 10% of guaranteed availability, the contract can be terminated entirely or partially.

ISLAMABAD: SYED MUNAWAR ABBAS, The 16th October, 2011. Acting Secretary.

PCPPI—3083(11) NA—16-10-2011—700. 1 35th Session

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SECRETARIAT

————

“UNSTARRED QUESTIONS AND THEIR REPLIES”

For Monday, the 17th October, 2011

(Originally Unstarred Question Nos. 40, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9 10, 11, 13, 16 and 17 were set down for answer during the 34th Session)

40. Mr. Salahuddin:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state:

(a) the names of the government departments, individuals and private companies against whom electricity dues are outstanding for the last six months; and

(b) the total amount of outstanding dues recovered by IESCO from government and private sectors during the said period?

Reply not received.

2. Ms. Tahira Aurangzeb:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state:

(a) the detail of transformers installed by the Sub-Division Office, Takht-e-Nusrati, District Karak since March, 2008 till date alongwith the justification thereof;

(b) the authority who granted approval for such installation; and

(c) whether a layout plan was carried out prior to the installation; if so, the head from which funds provided for such installation? 2

Minister for Water and Power (Syed Naveed Qamar): (a) Total 91 Nos: transformers were installed in Takht-e-Nusrati District Karak since 2008 to-date. These transformers were installed for following purposes:—

1. Energy Loss Reduction 2. Prime Minister Directive 3. Partially Electrified Villages 4. Tameer-e-Pakistan Programme 5. Peoples Works Programme I & II 6. Chief Minister Directive 7. President Directive 8. Tameer-e-Sarhad Programme

(b) The transformers were installed with the approval of Chief Executive Officer after completion of codal formalities.

—————————————————————————————— Sr. # Head of Funds No. of transformers installed —————————————————————————————— 1. ELR (Energy Loss Reduction) 59 2. PM (Prime Minister Directive) 12 3. PEV, (Partially Electrified Villages) 06 4. TPP (Tameer-e-Pakistan Programme) 06 5. PWP-I & II (Peoples Works Programme) 03 6. CMD (Chief Minister Directive) 02 7. President Directive 02 8. TSP (Tameer-e-Sarhad Programme) 01 ————— Total 91 Nos: —————————————————————————————— 3

4. Ms. Parveen Masood Bhatti:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state that the names of projects under consideration by the Ministry to control the crisis of electricity in the country at present?

Reply not received.

5. Ms. Khalida Mansoor:

Will the Minister for Housing and Works be pleased to state that the city-wise total number of employees/persons to whom constructed houses handed over under the proprietary rights scheme since March, 2008 till date?

Minister for Housing and Works (Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat): Since March 2008, 91 numbers of apartments have been offered for possession to general public in Islamabad and Lahore. 59 apartments at 1—11 Additional Apartments Project and 32 apartments at Shabbir Town Lahore. Further, 39 apartments at 1-11 additional apartment’s Project are vacant due to cancellation of allotments of previous allottees on account of non-payment of dues which have been re-launched for general public.

Apart from above stated position there are five on-going projects which are in process of completion as per schedule. Detail is annexed as Annex-A.

The Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation (FGEHF) has constructed 1189 apartments in Sector G-11/3 & 4, Islamabad for Federal Government employees under Phase-V. Out of which 828 apartments of Category C, D and E have been handed over to their allottees on ownership basis.

Annex-A

DETAILS OF ONGOING FIVE PROJECTS WHICH ARE IN PROCESS OF COMPLETION ———————————————————————————————————————— S. No. Site Type of Apartment No.of Persons Completion date ———————————————————————————————————————— 1. G-10/2, Islamabad D (F.G.Employees) 272 Mar-12 (BPS 1-16) D (Gen.Public) 96 ———————————————————————————————————————— 4

———————————————————————————————————————— S. No. Site Type of Apartment No.of Persons Completion date ———————————————————————————————————————— 2. G-11/3, Islamabad E(F.G.Employees) BPS 1-10 400 11-Dec C (Gen.Public) 208

3. Wafaqi Colony, D (F.G.Employees) 30 Lahore (BPS 1-16) 30 D (Gen.Public) 30 Mar-12

4. Wafaqi Colony. E (F.G.Employees) 30 Lahore (BPS 1-16) E (Gen.Public) 30

5. Executive apartments B (Gen.Public) 60 Jan-13 at Wafaqi Colony, Lahore ———————————————————————————————————————— Total 1,156 ————————————————————————————————————————

7. Sheikh Salahuddin:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state:

(a) the present status of construction work on Rainee Canal in Sindh for irrigation; and

(b) the total area to be cultivated under the said project?

Minister for Water and Power (Syed Naveed Qamar): (a) Overall physical and financial progress of the project (Phase-I) is 91% & 74% respectively and will be completed by June 30, 2012 subject to the availability of funds.

Phase-II of the project will be initiated after completion of Phase-I.

(b) Rainee Canal Project will benefit an area of 412,000 acres (CCA).

9. Raja Muhammad Asad Khan:

Will the Minister for Housing and Works be pleased to state:

(a) the details of those Government houses/quarters on which an amount of rupees one lac and above incurred on the renovation 5

and maintenance by the Pak. PWD since March, 2008 till date alongwith the name of allottees and justification thereof;

(b) whether it is a fact that no funds were released during the said period for the maintenance of Government houses in Sector I-8, Islamabad if so, the reasons thereof; and

(c) whether it is also a fact that no action has been taken so far on the complaints registered during the year 2011-12 for repairing of houses in the above sector; if so, the reasons thereof?

Minister for Housing and Works (Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat): (a) An expenditure amounting to Rs. 15.089 M was incurred on renovation and maintenance of government houses/ quarters since March, 2008 till date as detailed below:—

CCD- III 6230056/-

CCD- IV 3013287/-

CCD- VIII 5845758/- ————— Total 15089101/- —————

The Names of allottess are given as per Annex- A to C.

(b) Funds were allocated/released during the said period i.e. 2008-2009, 2009-2010 and 2010-11 for renovation/ maintenance of houses/ quarters in Sector I-8 Islamabad.

(c) The release of maintenance funds for the fiscal year 2011-12 is very inadequate and spent mostly for the payment of Salaries of Work Charged staff However on provision of additional funds, the maintenance works shall be under taken accordingly.

(Annexures have been placed in the National Assembly Library) 6

10. Ms. Shireen Arshad Khan:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state:

(a) the line losses suffered to PEPCO and HESCO during the years 2009-10 and 2010-11; and

(b) the year-wise total amount of line losses suffered in Bhawalpur and Multan Districts during the year 2009-10 and 2010-11 alongwith the reasons thereof?

Reply not received.

11. Mr. Nazir Ahmed Bughio:

Will the Minister for Ports and Shipping be pleased to state:

(a) the year-wise total number of persons appointed on daily wages, contract, regular and deputation basis in Port Qasim Authority during the last three years alongwith the names and designations thereof; and

(b) the number of employees absorbed in the said authority during the said period?

Reply not received.

13. Dr. Muhammad Ayub Sheikh:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state whether it is a fact that the meters of electricity have not been installed so far in newly constructed Flats situated in Sector G-6 (Aabpara), Islamabad; if so, the reasons thereof alongwith the time by which electric meters will be installed therein?

Reply not received. 7 16. Mr. Jamshaid Ahmad Dasti:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that transmission cables, transformers and electric poles installed in Muzafargarth (NA-178) are in a dilapidated condition; if so, the reasons thereof; and

(b) whether there is any proposal under consideration to replace those installations; if so, the time by which it will be implemented?

Reply not received.

17. Rana Muhammad Ishaq Khan:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that some electric poles were erected at new Abadi lsmaelwala, Mouza Islampur Faraz, Tehsil Ahmedpur Siyal, District Jhang long time ago but the cables have not been laid therein so far;

(b) if so, the reason thereof alongwith the time by which the cables will be laid therein?

Reply not received.

48. Mrs. Shagufta Sadiq:

Will the Minister for Religious Affairs be pleased to state the total number of Khuddam-ul-Hujjaj selected for Hajj-2011 alongwith the criteria adopted therein?

Minister for Religious Affairs (Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah): A contingent of 230 Khuddam-ul-Hujjaj has been selected for Hajj, 2011 for rendering welfare services to the hujjaj. Nominations are invited on the basis of following criteria:—

a. Nominee should not be more than 45 years of age. 8

b. He should be mentally and physically fit to stand the rigors of duty for long duration of Hajj season in Saudi Arabia.

c. He should have religious bent of mind.

d. He should preferably possess knowledge of Arabic language.

e. Those who performed Hajj duty last year should not be nominated in any case.

f. Disabled/handicapped persons, who can not perform proper duty or persons suffering from contagious disease may not be recommended in any case.

49. Mr. Muhammad Riaz Malik:

Will the Minister for Housing and Works be pleased to state whether it is a fact that the quota has been fixed for those persons in the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation Schemes for allotment of plots who are not the employees of Federal Government; if so, the reasons alongwith the details thereof?

Minister for Housing and Works (Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat): Primarily, the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation launched housing schemes only for Federal Government employees and their widows. However, on the pressing demand from other segments of the society, the Executive Committee of the Housing Foundation decided to rationalize the housing schemes of the Housing Foundation and include other segments of the society. Hence, quotas were fixed for employees of Autonomous bodies/ Corporations, Constitutional & Professionals and Journalists as per following detail:

Autonomous bodies : 8% Constitutional and : 5% Professional quota Journalists : 2% 9 50. Ms. Nighat Parveen Mir:

Will the Minister for Religious Affairs be pleased to state the procedure adopted for the selection of Doctors, Para Medical Staff and other persons for Hajj Mission for Hajj-2011?

Minister for Religious Affairs (Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah): 1. As per Hajj Policy 2011, approved by the Cabinet, 540 members of Hajj Medical Mission are to be deputed to the KSA for welfare and facilitation of the Hujjaj.

2. Out of 540 seats, 265 seats (85 doctors & 180 paramedics) are taken from Pakistan Army and 265 seats (85 Doctors and 180 Paramedics) from Civil Administration.

3. Against the civil seats 25% seats are meant for Federal Government and 75% for Provincial Governments (Health Departments) including AJK, FATA and Gilgit Baltistan.

4. The nominations are invited form Ministry of Defence/GHQ, Federal Government, Provincial Health Departments including AJK, FATA /GB on the basis of criteria at Annex-I.

5. Final selection is made by Ministry of Religious Affairs keeping in view the quota, physical fitness and motivational level of the candidates.

Annex-I Criteria for selection of Hajj Medical Mission

(a) Should not be more than 60 years of age. (b) Should have at least 05 years Service/experience at his credit. (c) Should be serving personnel of Army Medical Corps. (d) Should be devoted and energetic. (e) Should have religious bent of mind. (f) Knowledge of Arabic language is preferable. (g) Those who performed Hajj duty during last year may not be nominated in any case. (h) Disabled/Handicapped persons, who cannot perform proper duty or persons suffering from contagious disease i.e. Polio etc. may not be recommended in any case. 10 51. Raja Muhammad Asad Khan:

Will the Minister for Housing and Works be pleased to state:

(a) the total expenditure incurred on renovation and maintenance of Government offices by Pak-PWD during the period from 1-1-2008 to 30-6-2011 alongwith the detail of each office separately; and

(b) the procedure of expenditure adopted therein?

Reply not received.

52. Mrs. Nisar Tanveer:

Will the Minister for Housing and Works be pleased to state:

(a) the year-wise total amount earmarked and released for the renovation of various blocks including family suits of Gulshan- e-Jinnah, Islamabad during the last 3 fiscal years; alongwith the details of work completed under the said heads during the aforesaid period;

(b) the names of contractors, who carried out such works, alongwith criteria adopted for awarding contract;

(d) whether it is a fact that despite spending of huge amount of funds for the renovation of Gulshan-e-Jinnah, the number of suits are in dilapidated condition at present; if so, the reasons thereof; and

(e) the steps being taken to renovate the suits of Gulshan-e-Jinnah properly?

Reply not received. 11

53. Malik Shakir Bashir Awan:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state whether it is a fact that a Newzealand based firm has been allowed to establish a biogas project at Landi Kotal Colony, Karachi for generating electricity; if so, the details thereof?

Reply not received.

54. Begum Nuzhat Sadiq:

Will the Minister for Housing and Works be pleased to state:

(a) the total number of government houses/flats of category-II and Ill in Islamabad lying vacant at present alongwith the locations thereof; and

(b) the time by which those houses/flats will be allotted to the Federal Government employees?

Reply not received.

55. Mr. Wasim Akhter Sheikh:

Will the Minister for Housing and Works be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that the rental ceiling of government hired houses is increased after three year @ 10% per annum; if so, the reasons for not increasing the said ceiling for the last more than three years;

(b) whether it is also a fact that the rent of houses have increased by more then 50% during the last three years while the government has increased the ceiling by only 15% during the last four years; and

(c) whether there is any proposal under consideration to increase the rental ceiling with post facto effect; if so, when it will be implemented?

Reply not received. 12 56. Mr. Laiq Muhammad Khan:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state:

(a) the present status of Khaki Feeder, Mansehra City; and

(b) whether it is a fact that wires of the said area are in a dilapidated condition at present; if so, the time by which said wires will be replaced?

Reply not received.

57. Mr. Abdul Majeed Khan Khanan Khail:

Will the Minister for Water and Power be pleased to state whether there is any proposal under consideration to establish a separate Sub- Division Office, WAPDA at Duleewala Town, District Bhakhar; if so, the time by which it will be established?

Reply not received.

58. Rana Mahmood -ul- Hassan:

Will the Minister for Industries be pleased to state:

(a) the names of persons alongwith their father’s name, domicile, educational qualification and relevant experience who have been appointed on regular, contract and daily wages in the Utility Stores, Districts Mansehra, Rawalpindi and Islamabad during the last three years till date alongwith the criteria adopted in those appointments;

(b) whether advertisements were made in the newspapers; if so, the details thereof; and

Minister for Industries (Ch. Pervaiz Ellahi): (a) (i) A total of 232 persons have been appointed on contract basis in USC Mansehra, Rawalpindi and Islamabad Regions during the last three years. The particulars of these employees showing their names, father’s name, domicile and education qualification 13 is placed at Annexure-A. All these recruitments were made after observing the prescribed procedure and formalities.

(ii) 343 persons have been engaged on daily wages as a stop gap arrangements to cope with the increased volume of work. The list of these persons showing their names, qualification, date of appointment, NIC No; address and place of duty is placed at Annexure-B.

(b) For appointment on contract basis, the posts were advertised in press, the copy of press advertisement is placed Annexure-C. The engagement on daily wages is a stop gap arrangement on the basis of necessities.

(c) The appointments were made after conducting necessary test / interview of the candidates and observing the prescribed procedure.

(Annexures have been placed in the National Assembly Library)

59. Dr. Darshan:

Will the Minister for Industries be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that a number of persons working in the Export Processing Zones Authority on daily wages basis at present;

(b) if so, the names of such employees alongwith their designations, date of appointment and qualification;

(c) whether it is also a fact that some of the above-mentioned employees have been regularized; if so, the names, designations, qualification and date of appointments thereof; and

(d) whether it is further a fact that a number of junior employees have been regularized during the said period; if so, the reasons thereof?

Minister for Industries (Ch. Pervaiz Ellahi): (a) Total 24 employees are working in Export Processing Zones Authority on daily wages.

(b) Details of above employees are annexed.

(d) Nil. 14 15 60. Mr. Mohammad Pervaiz Malik:

Will the Minister for Industries be pleased to state whether there is any proposal under consideration to upgrade the existing posts of various cadres of the Utility Stores Corporation to bring it at par with the posts in other Federal Government Departments; if so, when it will be implemented?

Minister for Industries (Ch. Pervaiz Ellahi): Ever since its inception, the USC has adopted the scheme of Basic Pay Scales as admissible to the Federal Government Employees. Still the pay scales of the employees of the USC have always been revised as and when there was any revision in pay scales of the government employees.

The posts and pay scales in USC are at par with the posts / scales in the Federal Government.

However. a proposal regarding up-gradation of the following posts is under consideration and will be implemented after the approval of the USC Board of Directors. —————————————————————————————— S. No. Post Present Scale Proposed Scale —————————————————————————————— 1. Junior Accounts 8 9 Clerk / Audi Clerk 2. Accounts Assistant / 11 14 Audit Assistant —————————————————————————————— 61. Mr. Wasim Akhter Sheikh:

Will the Minister for Industries be pleased to state whether it is a fact that payment of over time is nothing being paid to the employees working in the Utility Stores, District Mansehra at present; if so, the reasons thereof alongwith the time by which such payment will be made to those employees?

Reply not received.

62. Maulvi Asmatullah:

Will the Minister for Industries be pleased to refer to Un-Starred Question No. 18 replied 12th September, 2011 and to state the names, designation, qualification and addresses of those employees working 16

in Utility Stores established by USC in Killa Saifullah, Loralai and Zhob alongwith the date of appointment and tenure of posting at present post?

Reply not received.

63. Haji Roz -ud- Din:

Will the Minister for Housing and Works be pleased to state:

(a) the names and designations of the employees of PTCL residing on standard rent basis in the government owned houses and flats in Islamabad at present;

(b) the particulars of all those houses / flats alongwith monthly rent at present?

Reply not received.

64. Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan Nasir:

Will the Minister for Housing and Works be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact some Houses/Flats of the Ministry were allotted to the employees of PTCL before its privatization;

(b) whether it is also a fact that those Houses/Flats have been allotted to the employees of various Ministries/Divisions after privatization of PTCL;

(c) if the answer to part (a) and (b) above be in the affirmative, the present status of those Houses/Flats alongwith the time by which those Houses/Flats will be vacated from the employees of PTCL and handed over to the allottees?

Reply not received. SYED MUNAWAR ABBAS, Acting Secretary. ISLAMABAD: The 16th October, 2011.

PCPPI—3083 (2011) NA—16-10-2011—700.