Daily Times

Pakistan Railway requires Rs 5.93 billion to settle the outstanding payments to its retired employees, Railway Ministry informed the Lower House of the Parliament on Tuesday.

In a written reply to question of Member National Assembly (MNA) and PPP leader Shazia Marri, Minister for Railway Muhammad Azam Khan Swati said, Pakistan Railway is successfully arranging payments on regular basis for the monthly pensions to all its pensioners, after Shazia Marri inquired about the failure of the ministry on paying dues to its retiring employees and sought the details in this regard.

During the reply the Minister confessed that there are 7,871 employees of the Ministry who have been retired but still awaiting for their rightful dues. He said that the nature of payable dues is of gratuity, leave encashment and pension arrears.

The minister said the liable amounts have been lingered for 5 years, before PTI formed the government in the center. The Minister claimed in his reply that the payments pertaining to commutation, gratuity leave encashment and pension arrears were pending since the financial year 2016-17 onward.

However, he added, the payments to the years 2016-17 and 2017-18 have been cleared except few ones in which some documentary evidence is required. “Settlement of pension dues pertaining to years 2018-19 and 2019-20 is underway,” he explained.

While justifying the delays, Swati maintained that a financial constraint was one of the reasons for such delays. “Shortfall in revenue occurred due to COVID-19 and insufficient Grant-in-Aid were major reasons for pendency of pension dues of retired employees,” he claimed. The Minister further said that the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has been approached twice for providing additional Grant-in-Aid to the Ministry for settlement of aforementioned dues but still in vain. However, he said, the advisor to the Prime Minister for Finance Dr Hafeez Sheikh has made a commitment that necessary relief to the Ministry in the 3rd quarter.

According to the Minister’s reply, the Railway Ministry sought grant of 6 billion from the Ministry of Finance for payment of pension out of which the released half of payments so far as per request.

Meanwhile, during the National Assembly session which resumed with the Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri in chair, two bills were passed. These include “The Ibadat International University, Islamabad Bill, 2021” and “The Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2020.” The Ibadat University Bill which was moved by Amjad Ali Khan earlier approved by the education standing committee and was presented in the house for formal wet as per prescribed legislative procedure.

According to the Bill, the purpose and objectives of the establishment of lbadat International University, Islamabad are to promote and disseminate the knowledge and technology and to provide education, training, research, demonstration, and scholarship, in such branches of learning, as it may determine.

For this purpose, the application and advancement as well as dissemination of knowledge by employing information technology including satellite, television, internet etc, or through conventional and innovative methods in the fields of management sciences, social sciences, engineering and technology, medical and dental sciences, allied health sciences, literature and linguistics, information technology and computer sciences, basic sciences, earth sciences, fine arts and architecture, law, nursing and pharmaceutical sciences and such other disciplines from the fields of natural sciences as it may determine, shall be applied and introduced.

To determine courses for study at the undergraduate level in its constituent units as well as in its affiliated institutions, centers and colleges, expertise of the high-level persons and institutions shall be obtained. Further, industry and the relevant organizations or institutions to promote public private partnership, innovation and research, development, industrialization for the purpose of education, training and development shall be made. In another separate legislation, the Lower House also passed “The National College of Arts Institute Bill 2020” moved by Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood. It was already deliberately wetted by the NA education committee. The Bill aims to reconstitute National College of Arts (NCA) function as autonomous university in Lahore under federal education ministry. Through incorporation of this bill the existing status of NCA is objected to up-grade to status of Federal Institute renaming as National College of Arts Institute.