PESHAWAR, Feb 22: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has pledged support for people affected by the recent natural disaster and also assured cooperation to the provincial government in human resource development.
According to an official handout, the UNDP's resident representative Onder Yucer called on the NWFP Chief Minister, Mr Akram Khan Durrani, on Monday and discussed the mode of cooperation his organization could extend to the provincial government.
Provincial Minister for Local Government and Rural Development Sardar Idrees and secretary local government, secretary planning and development also attended the meeting. The provincial government was assured support for the people affected by heavy rains and snowfall which have devastated infrastructure, communication links and road network in several parts of the province.
Mr Yuncer wished to be an active partner in the livestock and dairy development as a part of UNDP's poverty reduction and women empowerment plan and assured the CM of sending a mission to train women in livestock and dairy development.
The chief minister said that services and infrastructure had been washed away in the recent rains and snowfall across the province. He said that support and sympathies of the UNDP and other donor-agencies were source of consolation to the government and people of the province.
The provincial government had been engaged in the relief measures to mitigate sufferings of the affected people. He said his government empowered district administrations to take proper relief measures and released funds to them.
In the areas where relief operations could not be carried out through traditional means by the district governments, the provincial government itself undertook relief measures.
The CM highlighted the provincial government's steps to devolve powers to the grassroots-level. He said his government wanted efficient service in education, health, communication and other social sectors at district level.
Mr Durrani appreciated the poverty reduction plan of the UNDP and said that his government would extend full cooperation to make the plan a success. The programme, he said, had already started giving relief to the people.
The chief minister said there was an acute shortage of drinking and irrigation water in six southern districts of the province. He said the province had sufficient water but lacked means to exploit its water sources for drinking and irrigation purposes.
Mr Durrani said his government was planning to establish two milk processing plants at Pirsabak and Dera. On his request, Mr Onder Yucer announced to include livestock and diary development in UNDP's poverty reduction scheme.
The CM said that his government was not against the district government system; rather it had devolved maximum power and authority to the district level. However, in the last two years, there surfaced some complicated problems because of peculiar geographical and political environment of different provinces.
He said that the district government system should have been shaped keeping in view specific environment of a given area. He said no body in the district government system knew his power and authority.
He said no body considered himself responsible for law and order situation and whenever such a situation arose, the district nazim concerned put an application for leave instead of using his power and authority.
The chief minister said all the provinces had reservations with respect to the district government system which had been brought into the notice of the federal government.
He said the new system had increased expenditures manifold and there were more non-developmental expenditures. He said according to the constitution local governments were provincial subject but the district governments were not answerable to the provinces.
He said the provincial government devolved powers to the district governments but the federal government had not devolved powers to the provinces. He said the federal government should devolve education, agriculture and health to provinces and should also provide them sufficient funds.
The chief minister said that his government, through a democratic approach, ensured equal funds to male, female and minority-members for development schemes. He said such approach had been missing in the past and it was to the credit of his government that steps were taken to empower women. He termed education a key for women empowerment and poverty reduction.
Mr Onder Yucer expressed his sorrow over the losses of lives and properties in the rains and snow. He assured continued support of the UNDP for capacity buildings of finance, planning and local government departments.
He said that the UNDP was also considering launching urban poverty alleviation and the project would be initiated in three cities. In seven other districts, poverty reduction activities and programme for human development would continue.
The UNDP would continue to be an active development partner of frontier government, he said and added that he hoped that because of realistic approach of and positive steps by the provincial government things would improved.
