PESHAWAR, July 8: The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) will get Rs 7,834.968 million under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the year 2004-05. Last year the total size of the ADP for Fata was Rs 3,256.540 million.
This includes Rs 4,000.194 million in Fata's own ADP, Rs 2063.520 Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) and Rs 1,780.254 million foreign projects. Briefing journalist here on Thursday, Secretary to Governor NWFP Sahibzada Saeed Ahmad said that 85 per cent of the current ADP would be spent on the ongoing schemes in the area, while only 144 new schemes would be initiated in the programme.
Apart from the ADP, he said Pakistan Army would also receive funds for various development schemes in Fata, but he did not mention the amount to be utilised through various army departments in the area. The army received Rs 1,000 million for development schemes in Fata in the previous ADP.
Elaborating sector-wise allocation of the ADP, he said, under the Fata's ADP, education/information technology/sports would get Rs 880 million, health Rs 424, communication Rs 840 million, power Rs 200 million, public health engineering Rs 252 million, irrigation Rs 480 million, agriculture Rs 200, housing Rs 60 million, forests Rs 152 million, minerals Rs 92 million, research and development Rs 32 million, regional development Rs 208 million and industries Rs 152 million.
He said that 80 per cent of the total ADP had been allocated on the basis of population, while 20 per cent was on area basis. He, however, said the government would change the criteria for the ADP allocation from the next year.
Mr Saeed said that despite the fact Fata was enjoying special status, the area was ignored in the past and about 60 per cent of the total population of the area was living below poverty line.
He said that the new schemes would be initiated only in the newly-opened areas of Fata. He said that the government would initiate schemes to enhance income generation opportunities, improve social service delivery to reduce poverty, and remove regional and gender disparities in the area.
For this purpose, he said, the government had devised a plan to ensure optimum utilisation of natural resources including minerals and agriculture sectors and create employment opportunities.
Mr Saeed said that under the PSDP the federal government will release Rs 2,063.520 million in the current year. Out of the total PSDP, he said, Rs 1,300 million had been allocated for the construction of Gomal Zam Dam in the South Waziristan region.
An amount of Rs 100 million has been earmarked for the construction of the 44 kilometres long Peshawar-Torkham Expressway, Rs 70 million for national drainage programme and Rs 37 million for population welfare in Fata. He said that the federal government would also provide Rs 500 million for restructuring the law enforcement agencies in the Fata.
He said that the Asian Development Bank had agreed in principle to provide funds for Shalman Water supply scheme in the Khyber Agency. The project would cost more than Rs 300 million.
He informed that the Governor Secretariat would also set up two industrial estates in Fata while land would also be provided for the office of the Fata Chamber of Commerce and Industries.
Replying to a question, he said, the Governor Secretariat had proposed to the government to exempt industrial units to be set up in the proposed industrial estates, from the purview of the Frontier Crimes Regulation laws to encourage investment and economic activities.
He acknowledged that the ongoing conflict in the South Waziristan region had affected the pace of development activities in the area and work on various schemes had been suspended.
He stated that the government would ensure proper utilisation of funds in Fata and for this purpose the NWFP Governor monitoring and evaluation team had been strengthened.
He added that feasibility survey for the construction of Fata Highway from South Waziristan to Bajaur region had been started and it would be completed by the end of December next. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 4.79 billion and it would connect the entire tribal region.
