01 March 2005	Tuesday	19 Muharram 1426

ISLAMABAD, Feb 28: The Senate Standing Committee on Women Development has underlined the need for reviewing the Tawana Pakistan project and suggested that funds earmarked for it should be audited properly.

The committee, which meet under the chairmanship of Senator Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry, was of the view that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should confine themselves to their specific role and their working should be monitored.

The committee made these observations while discussing evaluation reports on Tawana Pakistan project submitted by senators Dr Kauser Firdaus and Fauzia Fakharuz Zaman Khan.

The reports pointed out that most of the schools in the NWFP visited by the two senators lacked basic facilities like washrooms, clean drinking water, ceiling fans, benches, chairs and tables.

It was noticed that there were no recreational or indoor games facilities available in the schools. The reports further indicated that most of the medicines supplied under this project had adverse effects on children and had to be withdrawn.

The committee members were of the view that though the project had been declared as the best in the region by the United Nations yet shortcomings should be identified to achieve the desired results.

Senator Roshan Khursheed Bharucha informed the committee that the situation of schools under the Tawana Pakistan project in Balochistan was identical to that in the NWFP.

The committee observed that departments involved in the implementation of this project should keep it abreast of the overall performance in their respective areas so as to ensure proper monitoring of the project.

The members said: "We do not want to repeat the history of Nai Roshni Schools and a process should be evolved for ensuring its utility and giving the idea of Tawana Pakistan a practical shape."

The meeting was attended besides the chairman by senators Dr Shahzad Waseem, Razina Alam Khan, Prof Mohammad Saeed Siddiqui, Roshan Khursheed Bharucha, Dr Nighat Agha, Dr Kauser Firdaus, Syed Murad Ali Shah and Enver Baig.