ISLAMABAD, April 12: Fifty years ago, renowned economist Albert Waterston wrote a book "Planning in Pakistan" wherein he advocated that the country should start with small schemes with participation of local population.

He said it was the best development strategy considering that Pakistan was starting from scratch. However, economic planners of that era did not like the formulation. Instead, they were obsessed with the idea of catching up with the best of the world quickly and put all their eggs in one basket, and the grandiose schemes of the times failed to trickle down to the masses.

IUCN-Pakistan, the United Nations Development Fund and the global environmental facility had arranged the programme. Chairman National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) Daniyal Aziz, who was the chief guest, backed the thrust on small schemes.

He said development processes needed people as partners in a formal planning system. Referring to the last 50 years' faulty planning, he said in the end the country had come out with the lowest social indicators and indicated time was ripe for a new system in which the focus would shift to union councils that should remain involved in the twin task of implementation and delivery of projects.

The union councils would receive an honorarium for doing the mandatory supervision. Legislation to this effect was in progress and expected to be announced within a fortnight, Mr Aziz added.

The UNDP representative also backed the devolution process and the emphasis made by NRB chairman about union council's focal position in the development process at the rural level, by echoing in his remarks that local democratic institutions present the foundation upon which local efforts to reduce poverty, sustain the environment and promote human development can take place within a framework of democracy.

Funds for the implementation of small schemes have come from the UNDP out of the total $14.6 billion under the Global Environment Facility, a part of which was also apportioned to Pakistan under GEF's small grant programme over the last ten years.