CM KPK expresses inability to provide resources for PM’s Kissan Package

PESHAWAR, April 22: The Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak while expressing inability of the province to provide resources for Prime Minister’s Kisan Package announced by the federal government has said that provincial resources were being utilized for the promotion of agriculture sector according to the priorities fixed by the provincial government. This he said while talking to the Federal Minister for Food Security and Research Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan at Chief Minister House in Peshawar.
Provincial Minister for Agriculture Ikram Ullah Khan Gandapur, Special Assistant to CM for livestock and fisheries Mohib Ullah Khan, Secretary Agriculture and other high ranking officers were present on the occasion.
The Federal Minister while demanding of the government to provide resources for the Kisan Package informed that provision of 50 per cent funds for the package were committed by the federal government while provision of the rest was responsibility of the respective provinces. He said that Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province had yet to provide their share for the package. Responding to the demand of the federal minister the Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa clarified that the mentioned package had been announced by the Prime Minister without taking the province into confidence and that is why funding of the package was the sole liability of the federal government. The Chief Minister deplored on over-sighting of the small provinces in consultation about national issues. He clarified that agriculture products being subsidized under the Kisan Package were not falling in the requirements of the formers of the province. He informed the federal minister that provincial government had already chalked out its own strategy for the promotion of agriculture and forest sector and available resources were being incurred for this purpose. He elaborated the installation of tube wells, provision of free seeds and subsidization of certain items were among the steps of the government being initiated for the welfare of cultivators. He said that it was legal responsibility of the local government to spend its 10 per cent budget for the promotion of agriculture sector. Responding to the demand of the federal government for taking steps to lower the cost of production enabling farmers to compete international market, the Chief Minister informed that provincial government would share its proposal in this regard with the federal government after consultation with the stakeholders. -PR