ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly standing committee on Ports and Shipping has unanimously approved all the proposals for the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for the financial year 2018-19 with emphasis to meet timelines as well as formalities.
As per documents available with Customs Today here, PSDP proposals included a total of 30 projects; of which 15 ongoing and 15 new, proposed for the next financial year. As per rules of the procedures of parliament, all the ministries are required to present PSDP proposals before the standing committees of the National Assembly and the Senate for scrutiny and approval before March.
Most often the ministries don’t follow these rules; however, this year, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs has taken the lead in getting approval of the PSDP proposals for the next fiscal year. No other ministry has taken this approval so far.
The committee met here with Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah in the chair and discussed all the proposals one by one and then granted unanimous approval to all of them. Prior to the approval Ministry of Ports and Shipping now renamed as ministry of Maritime Affairs presented their budgetary proposals related to the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for the Financial Year 2018-19.
In this regard the Secretary and different departments’ heads gave individual presentations for Ministry of Maritime Affairs (Main), Gwadar Port Authority, Port Qasim Authority, Pakistan National Shipping Corporation, Pakistan Marine Academy, Korangi Fish Harbour Authority, Marine Biological Research Laboratory and Government Shipping Office Karachi. The Chairman Karachi Port Trust (KPT) assured the committee that its recommendations will be followed in letter and spirit.
