ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Parliamentary Secretary for Finance and Revenue Rana Muhammad Afzal Tuesday informed the National Assembly that the government had taken concrete steps to control price-hike in the country.
Speaking on a resolution moved by Dr Nikhat Shakeel that the government should take steps to control price-hike, he said the Finance Minister chaired a meeting regularly every month to monitor prices of various commodities.
He also urged the provincial governments to take concrete steps to control artificial price-hike.
The House also adopted the resolution moved by Tahira Aurangzeb that the government should take immediate steps to complete Bara Kahu Housing Scheme for Federal Government employees.
Meanwhile, the House rejected a motion moved by Muhammad Muzammil Qureshi that a special committee, consisting of not more than eight members, four each from Treasury and Opposition, may be constituted by the Speaker, to investigate into the loans of billions of rupees written off by the banks presently and during the last three financial years and report to the House within 30 days.
Opposing the motion, Rana Afzal said the matter could be discussed at the Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue.
He said currently only two banks, National Bank of Pakistan and First Women Bank were under the government control while the rest were working in private sector.
He said private banks had their own board members and they could decide cases of waiving off loans.
Similarly, the Speaker referred the amendments to Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly proposed by Dr Zara Fazal to the committee concerned after non-opposing by the Treasury benches.
