The Culture department has till May to use up millions of rupees for several key sites. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah looked at the progress of the department at CM House on Thursday with P&D Chairman Mohammad Waseem, Culture Minister Syed Sardar Shah, Industries Minister Jam Ikram, IG Mushtaq Maher, PrincipalSecretary to the CM Sajid Jamal Abro, Home ACS Usman Chachar, Culture Secretary Akbar Leghari, Industries Secretary Riaz Qureshi, P&D member Fatah Tunio.
The Culture department has 44 on-going schemes worth Rs7,514.7 million out of which Rs3,733.8 million have been spent and about Rs3,780.9 million is left.
The schemes launched by the Culture department are: Rs635.1 billion to improve motels/resorts in Sehwan, Thatta and Umerkot
Rs3 billion for a summer resort at Gorakh Hill Station Rs800 million for the Sindh Indigenous Traditional Crafts Company Rs408.7 million to preserve the Pucca Fort’s retaining wall Rs297.4 million for missing facilities at Kasha Institute and restoration of Dabgeer Mosque, Thatta Rs246 million for a museum, research center and rest house at archeological site Chanhiyo-jo-Daro, Nawabshah Rs147.8 million for Sambara Inn, Larkana Rs40 million for facilities at Motel Hawke’s Bay Rs40 million for motel and information center Moen-jo-Daro
The CM said that his record showed that six schemes allocated Rs76 million for 2020-21 have used 63% of the amount released.
The other four schemes given Rs177 million have used 65% of their funding and, 34 schemes worth Rs587.3 million have used 62% of their allocations.
“Funds are available for these schemes and their progress is not bad but a little focus from the minister is required to complete them by the end of current financial year,” he said and directed Culture Minister Syed Sardar Shah to review them.
