Finance secy told to approve budget for e-libraries across Sindh in two months.

Byline: Ishaq Tanoli

KARACHI -- The Sindh High Court on Wednesday directed the culture secretary to float summaries about requisite funds to the finance department and said the approval would be made within two months to set up e-libraries in the province.

A single bench of the SHC headed by Justice Salahuddin Panhwar also asked the finance secretary to ensure that schedules of new expenditures (SNEs) of six libraries pending approval must be approved within 15 days and also sought a compliance report.

In the last hearing, the bench had issued certain directives to the provincial authorities including establishment of e-libraries in every district in the upcoming budget on a similar pattern as being done by Punjab.

At the outset of the hearing, the secretary of the culture, tourism, antiquities and archives department, Ghulam Akbar Leghari, along with the in charge director-libraries submitted a detailed report.

SHC rules the Covid-19 pandemic has made the need for e-education more viable

The report reflected that there were 27 public libraries out of which six libraries were functioning without SNEs since the same were pending for approval with the finance department.

The culture secretary informed the bench that there were budget issues regarding public libraries as no extra budget was available to shift the libraries from electricity to solar system and undertook that his department would establish libraries in every district headquarter.

The bench directed the secretary to float summaries through proper channel to the finance department and asked the finance secretary to approve the budget within two months for establishment of e-libraries and shifting of libraries from electricity to solar system, well-equipped with capacity of air conditioners and computers connected with uninterrupted Wi-Fi internet.

It also directed the culture department to also enhance the capacity of all libraries at divisional and district level.

The culture secretary submitted that on the directive of the bench, an amount of Rs20 million was allocated for enhancing the capacity of the Daudpota Library at Hyderabad, but the amount was frozen by the finance department due to Covid-19 pandemic.

The bench observed that the pandemic needed to make us conscious only but...