The Federal Government has written an important financial package worth RS27 billion for the Public Services Store Corporation (USC), and the final approval is expected at the Tuesday (today) meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC). The plan was revealed during a session of the Permanent Privatization Committee of the National Assembly on Monday, where members expressed serious concerns about the closure of the USC points of sale and the lack of payment of employee fees. In informing the Committee, the Secretary of Industries and Production said that the RS27 billion package includes RS15-18 billion for a voluntary separation scheme (VSS) for employees, while RS13.8bn has been allocated to clear liabilities owed to suppliers. It was told to the committee that USC currently has a general RS54bn debt load. The secretary added that of approximately 11,000 USC employees, only about 300 would be held until privatization is completed. Suppliers must be removed in two phases, with priority granted to those under financial stress. The secretary admitted that USC has been making losses since the subsidies were withdrawn, while RS46BN are still pending of the corporation, including fees to the commercial corporation of Pakistan and FBR. Dr. Sattar ordered that a detailed two -page report be prepared, including the names and contacts of CBA union representatives, the details of employee payments and suppliers authorizations. The committee members demanded all the details of the financial package prepared for workers. Senator Sehar Kamran emphasized that employee rights must be safeguarded in case of privatization. She warned against the repetition of USC’s example, which has been closed and where workers are being dismissed. It is pertinent to take into account that with more than 4,000 points of sale throughout the country, the USC was established to stop the manipulation of the market by retailers and wholesalers, which allows the government to intervene when necessary to supply essential products, subsidized when necessary, to any specific area. The session also saw concerns about the worsening of electricity interruptions throughout the country, and legislators criticized prolonged zipper under the appearance of "load management". The president of the Faooq Sattar committee regretted that citizens faced energy cuts up to 15 hours a day. Power division officials said there were no load layers, only "commercial load management" in high loss areas. However, the member vehemently challenged the claim. Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri said that officials always deny the load of load, but throughout the country, especially in Baluchistan, people suffer from 15 hours. He pointed out that the owners of the Tube wells were denied the promised payments, while the entire feeders had been closed. Dr. Sattar pointed out that Islamabad had already introduced the technology of disconnection and scada reconnection to penalize only the delinquent, while suggested by their replication throughout the country.
