Pakistani MPs want development funds doubled

ISLAMABAD - Pakistani MPs Thursday urged Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to honour his promise of doubling their development funds from Rs.10 million to Rs.20 million failing which they would move a privilege motion against him in the lower house.

The demand was made at a meeting of the National Assembly’s standing committee on local bodies and rural development here. Minister of State for Local Bodies and Rural Development Masood Abbas and officials of concerned departments also participated in the

meeting.

The officials informed the meeting that an MP’s funds would remain at Rs.10 million

because the finance ministry has so far got no orders from Gilani to double this, Online news agency reported.

The officials also told the committee that Rs.637 million had been issued to the MPs during 2009-10 for 680 development schemes across the country but not a single of these had been completed so far.

They also informed the committee that funds were not being given to the MPs directly but were being routed through the District Coordination Officers for executing development schemes.