KARACHI, May 30: Japan, which is the top donor to Pakistan, has to date provided 10.5 billion dollars under the grassroots assistance (GRA) programme for 209 projects. This was stated by the Senior Economic Consultant of the Embassy of Japan in Islamabad, Sardar Wasimuddin Khan.

He was speaking at an exclusive briefing session held here on Saturday afternoon for the representatives of NGOs. Wasim pointed out that the GRA scheme had commenced in the year 1989.

He informed that of the 209 projects funded so far, 70 per cent pertained to health, education and women in development. The remaining covered environment, vocational training, water supply and vocational training etc.

Eighty of these projects were in the Punjab, 42 in NWFP, 31 in Northern Areas, 26 in Balochistan, 24 in Sindh and six in Islamabad. These projects, he added, were aimed at fostering friendship between the people of the two countries and to assist in the development activities at the grassroots level.

The very objectives of the GRA scheme is to assist the NGOs, community-based organizations as well as the local government bodies by covering the cost of relatively small projects which find it difficult to obtain effective assistance under the general grant aid programme and to provide flexible and timely support to development projects at the grassroots level.

It was pointed out that under this programme, the smaller NGOs can apply and get assistance for their projects. Earlier, the Deputy Consul General of Japan in Karachi, Hitoshi Neki, pointed out that the very purpose of the Japan's official development assistance is to promote the process of development in the developing countries and help improve the lot of the people of those countries. -APP