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The National Assembly has been summoned to meet on Monday, the 1st April, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. in the Parliament House, Islamabad
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NA Standing Committee on Information, Broadcasting & National Heritage approves PSDP proposals of NH&LH Divison amounting to Rs. 845.465 Million for inclusion in the Budget 2017-18

Tuesday, 28th February, 2017

Islamabad; February 28, 2017:  The Standing Committee on Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage has approved budgetary proposals relating to Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) of National Heritage and Literary Heritage Division (NH&LH) and its attached departments for the year 2017-18 amounting to Rs.845.465 million. The proposals would be forwarded to the M/o Planning and Reforms and Finance Division for inclusion in the Federal Budget for year 2017-18. The Committee met under the Chairmanship of Pir Muhammad Aslam Bodla, MNA in Islamabad, this morning.

The Committee thoroughly discussed and scrutinized the budgetary proposals relating to Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) of National Heritage and Literary Heritage Division and its attached departments for the year 2017-18. The Committee was apprised that National Heritage and Literary Heritage 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 up gradation 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 appreciated the performance of the NH&LH Division for its efforts for preservation of national history and heritage. The Chairman and Members of the Committee lauded the futurist headship of Mr. Irfan Siddiqui as head of the NH&LH Division and a renowned literary personality and expressed their optimism that the departments under his administration would flourish. The Committee was surprised to note that the subject of Pakistan Chairs in foreign universities & National Archive Center and Lok Virsa & 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 recommendation 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 Mr. Irfan Siddiqui, Advisor to PM on National History and Literary Heritage, MNAs; Pir Muhammad Aslam Bodla, Malik Shakir Bashir Awan, Mr. Muhammad Tallal Chaudry, Mian Muhammad Farooq, Mr. Waseem Akhtar Shaikh, Mr. Tahir Iqbal Ch, Ms. Ghulam Bibi Bharwana, Ms. Parveen Masood Bhatti, Ch. Muhammad Tufail, Syed Amir Ali Shah Jamote, Mr. Imran Zafar Leghari, Ms. Belum Hasnain, Mr. Murad Saeed, Dr. Muhammad Azhar Khan Jadoon, Malik Muhammad Aamir Dogar, Ms. Naeema Kishwer Khan, Secretary NH&LH Division and heads of the concerned departments.