Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage on Tuesday approved budgetary proposals relating to Public Sector Dxevelopment Programme (PSDP) worth Rs 845.465 million for the National Heritage and Literary Heritage Division (NH&LH) for 2017-18.

The proposals would be forwarded to the Planning and Reforms and Finance Division for inclusion in the Federal Budget for year 2017-18. The Committee met under Aslam Bodla.

The committee discussed and scrutinised the budgetary proposals relating to PSDP of the National Heritage and Literary Heritage Division and its attached departments for the year 2017-18. The body was apprised that the division had demanded allocation of Rs 845.465 million for its 20 new projects that mainly pertain to construction of auditorium at National Academy of Letters, preservation of National Heritage and upgrading of existing infrastructure at National Library, Braille Press, Iqbal Academy and Mazar-e-Quaid.

The committee was apprised that four projects of the Pakistan Academy of Letters, National Book Foundation, Department of Archeology and Urdu Dictionary Board, respectively were ongoing and would be completed in the current fiscal year upon grant of budgetary allocation. The committee also stressed upon the Ministries of Planning and Finance to allocate budgetary grant for upkeep of Mazar-e-Quaid.

The committee praised the performance of the NH&LH Division for its efforts for preservation of national history and heritage. The committee was surprised to note that the subject of Pakistan Chairs in foreign universities and National Archive Center and Lok Virsa and Pakistan National Council for Arts were presently under the administrative control of Cabinet Division and Information and Broadcasting Division, respectively, therefore, recommended to the government to transfer the same to National Heritage and Literary Heritage Division owing to their relevance with the NH&LH Division.

The committee supported the proposal of construction of Pakistan Park in the peripheral area of Mazar-e-Quaid that would depict national cultural and cohesion. The committee also directed the division to submit report of inclusion or non-inclusion of the PSDP budgetary proposals in the federal budget within thirty days of the committee’s recommendations required under rule 7 of rule 201 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007.

The meeting was attended by columnist-turned-politician Irfan Siddiqui, lawmakers Aslam Bodla, Shakir Awan, Talal Chaudhry, Mian Farooq, Waseem Shaikh, Tahir Iqbal, Ghulam Bibi, Parveen Masood, Muhammad Tufail, Amir Shah, Mr. Imran Leghari, Belam Hasnain, Murad Saeed, Azhar Jadoon, Aamir Dogar and Naeema Kishwar.