Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Minister for Industries and Production Hamamd Azhar on Tuesday said that 90 percent of total supplementary demands for grants for fiscal year 2020-21 were linked to COVID-19 related expenditures.
Responding to opposition members’ comments on supplementary grants in the National Assembly here, the minister informed the House that the government reduced the supplementary grants from Rs600 billion in 2017-18 to Rs222 billion in first year of PTI government.
He said during 2017-18, when the PML-N government approved supplementary grants of Rs 600 billion, there was no disaster, COVID-19 or earthquake.
Responding to the opposition’s query over supplementary grant for PM House, the minister clarified that since National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was part of PM House therefore it came under the head of PM House.
Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar has said the present government is pursuing better fiscal discipline and management.
With respect to National Finance Commission (NFC), Hammad said, “We have no authority to hold NFC funds, but the provinces must also ensure dispersing due funds to all districts on merit”.
Further, he said that the petrol levy of Rs30 per liter was imposed by the PML-N government and the present government did not increase or decrease the amount of levy.
The Minister also clarified that the petroleum development levy (PDL) and the GST on petroleum products have not been enhanced. The prices of petroleum products were raised due to an upward trend in the international market. He said it was the PML (N) government which had set the ceiling of PDL at thirty rupees.
