The Planning Fee deputy chairman workplace stated the mandate of NDMA was particular and didn’t overlap with the duty assigned to the fee. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD: The federal authorities’s response to mitigate the affect of coronavirus pandemic has remained fragmented because it now plans to arrange the COVID-19 Secretariat on the Planning Fee in a bid to coordinate with donors.
Underneath the Guidelines of Enterprise 1973, the Financial Affairs Division (EAD) is accountable for all sorts of coordination with the worldwide collectors and donors.
The Planning Fee has known as a gathering on Thursday of the federal government companies and worldwide collectors involved to debate the organising of COVID-19 Secretariat, its phrases of reference and the framework for a uniform response from the ministries and improvement companions”.
The assembly can even talk about the mechanism for coordination with the donors and can finalise the best way ahead.
The transfer seems shocking because the Guidelines of Enterprise 1973, which governs the enterprise of federal authorities, authorises the EAD to coordinate with the donors.
What guidelines say
EAD will make the “assessment of requirements, programming and negotiations for external economic assistance from foreign governments and organisations”, reads the Guidelines of Enterprise 1973.
These state that issues referring to IBRD, IDA and IFC (the World Financial institution Group), Asian Improvement Financial institution (ADB) and IFA, financial issues pertaining to the Financial and Social Council of the United Nations, governing council of the United Nations Improvement Programme (UNDP), Financial and Social Fee for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP), Colombo Plan and Organisation of Financial Cooperation and Improvement (OECD) would be the duty of the EAD.
Additionally, negotiations and coordination actions, and so on, pertaining to financial cooperation with different international locations, evaluation of necessities, programming and negotiations for securing technical help for Pakistan from international authorities organisations together with nominations for coaching programs might be handled by the EAD.
Sources stated the Planning Fee’s transfer had precipitated unease within the EAD in addition to among the many donors that contacted the EAD to get readability on the matter. This can even divert sources and create confusion between the planning ministry and the EAD.
However Planning Fee Deputy Chairman Jahanzeb Khan defends the choice of organising the COVID-19 Secretariat on the fee.
“The National Coordination Committee for COVID-19 has established a sub-committee on economic analysis and the Planning Commission deputy chairman is the convener of the sub-committee,” stated a written response given by the deputy chairman workplace.
It added the sub-committee held a gathering on March 19 the place the ministries involved introduced their preliminary evaluation of the financial affect of COVID-19. The event companions had been invited to coordinate their actions on the idea of want and demand expressed by the ministries and provinces, stated the deputy chairman workplace.
It added that the Planning Fee was coordinating for improvement and financial issues and commonly interacted with the event companions for the aim.
Financial Affairs Minister Hammad Azhar didn’t reply to the request for remark.
The Nationwide Safety Committee has declared the Nationwide Catastrophe Administration Authority (NDMA) because the lead company to cope with the logistic must mitigate the dangers of coronavirus contagion and different associated issues.
Responding to a query, the deputy chairman workplace stated the mandate of NDMA was particular and didn’t overlap with the duty assigned to the Planning Fee by the Nationwide Coordination Committee.
There was additionally confusion about who would put together the financial and social affect price evaluation of coronavirus. Initially, the mandate had been given to the Ministry of Finance by PM Imran.
Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh had additionally stated the PM had arrange a committee beneath his command.
However the deputy chairman workplace has now conveyed to the finance ministry that the Planning Fee will carry out this job. As an alternative of utilizing in-house sources, the Planning Fee has outsourced the job to Pakistan Institute of Improvement Economics.
Revealed in The Specific Tribune, March 26th, 2020.
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