October 17, 2003	Friday	Sha'aban 20, 1424

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QUETTA Oct 16: The European Union plans to spend 22 million euros to initiate projects for the development of the livestock sector in the country.

The Head of the EU mission to Islamabad, Iikka Uusitalo, said during a briefing about the performance of the Trust for Voluntary Organizations (TVO) here on Wednesday: “Our consultants will work out plans with the provincial governments for the utilization of the fund.”

He said centres had been established in the provinces for the implementation of the projects.

He said another 71 million euros had been allocated by the EU for the country, of which 59 million euros would be spent on education and the remaining on basic health, child labour and other sectors. “The funds would be utilized over three years,” he said.

He said a 50 million euros project was also in operation with the collaboration of the finance ministry for reforming the financial sector.

TVO Project Section Programme Coordinator Nazia Seher, briefing the EU representative, said the organization was working for promoting education and reproductive health facilities in rural and semi-urban areas in collaboration with community-based organizations.

She said it had provided financial support to 498 projects, of which 233 had been completed and 265 were under way. Of the projects, 207 were undertaken in Punjab, 102 in Balochistan, 76 in the NWFP, 62 in Sindh and 51 in AJK, that benefited nearly five million people, she said.

She said the EU had so far provided 7.999 million euros to the TVO, of which 7.121 million euros had been utilized. She said 76 per cent of the funds had been spent on primary health care, 15 per cent on basic education and nine per cent on the rural health sector.

She said the TVO was working in collaboration with 108 non-governmental organizations and CBOs in the province and had completed 67 projects, while 35 were in progress.