November 25, 2003	Tuesday	Ramazan 29, 1424

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PESHAWAR, Nov 24: Officials of the provincial government have been directed to ensure timely distribution of free textbooks and uniforms among students of the public sector primary schools.

The order was issued by NWFP minister of finance planning and development Sirajul Haq while chairing a meeting that reviewed the provincial government’s performance viz-a-viz implementation of annual development programme during the first quarter of the current financial year.

Mr Haq asked authorities concerned to take appropriate measures in this regard.

The current ADP includes a special scheme funded by a World Bank loan.

Initially the government had specified Rs135 million for the purpose, but now it intended to double the size of the funding to be provided for the execution of the project.

The minister said that every possible effort should be made to ensure that the public money was not wasted through mismanagement.

The scheme would be launched from the start of the next academic year commencing in April next year.

The NWFP government is facing an uphill task of ensuring execution of the development schemes at a fast pace in an effort to utilize 100 per cent of the funds earmarked for the 2003-04 financial year’s ADP.

He reiterated the provincial government’s commitment to invest greater funds in the education sector to improve quality of education to achieve the objective of containing poverty and illiteracy.

The minister took exception to the delay in launching the projects of a women’s university and a girls’ medical college.

He said that the provincial government was committed to execute the two multi-billion-rupee projects, adding that no lethargy on the part of authorities concerned would be tolerated.

“Announcements made in the budget would be implemented at every cost and strict disciplinary action would be taken against the authorities causing delay in the timely execution of these schemes,” an official hand out issued here on Monday quoted the minister as having told participants of the meeting.

The meeting also took stock of developmental schemes relating to the departments of irrigation, public health engineering, industries and commerce, social welfare, communication, works and other social sectors and necessary decisions taken.

The provincial government was criticized by major lending agencies during the last financial year after it failed to execute development schemes at a fast pace.