Funds scarcity halts WWF development schemes: OPHRD

Ministry of Finance Division has not released development funds to Workers Welfare Fund (WWF) for the last nine months resulting stoppage of its all development schemes.

An official source of Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development told APP here on Friday. He said that Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) collected over Rs.162 billion tax from over half million registered industrial workers but the finance ministry was not releasing funds to WWF for the ongoing and new projects.

The construction work of labor complex at Zone-V near Islamabad Expressway has stop due to the shortage of funds which was mega project for the registered workers of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

He said that all the other development schemes in three provinces including Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan have been stopped due to lack of funds.

He said the workers children would have to face the problems if funds were not released on time. It is worth mentioning that number of worker’s children were getting education from the different universities and colleges on scholarships provided by WWF.

The future of worker's children at stake but no solid step was being taken to address the issue.

To question, he said that Finance Division was releasing only the salaries of WWF staff and it was very alarming situation.  

He said that WWF was established under Workers Welfare Fund Ordinance, 1971 for providing low cost housing and other amenities to the industrial workers.

(APP)