SHIKARPUR, May 7: Speakers at a seminar held here have urged the district government to allocate more funds for education and health and pointed out that education system has collapsed due to shortage of funds.

They said the Civil Hospital and other health facilities in the district needed more money for purchase of life saving drugs.

They were speaking at a pre-budget seminar titled “Awam Ki Awaz” (voice of people) organised by Shikarpur district government in collaboration with District That Work, a project of USAID, at DCO secretariat here on Tuesday.

Shikarpur Zila Nazim Mohammad Arif Mahar presided over the function.

Nazims, councillors, representatives of NGOs and social workers attended the seminar and took part in discussion over the budget for 2008-09.

Shikarpur Taluka Nazim Zafar Ali Shaikh, chairman of Works and Services Committee Syed Nadir Hussain Shah, advocate Naseer Ahmed Lodhi, journalist Sodho James and representatives of political, social and city organisations expressed their views and gave suggestions for the next budget.

The district nazim said that he had assured the people that their government would spend record amount on welfare but admitted that due to limited funds, he failed to fulfil the need of medicines required in hospitals.

He regretted that in past medicines bound for government hospitals were being sold at private medical stores.

He said that with a cost of Rs400 million a mega project of drainage system was under construction in Shikarpur, while shifting of sabzi mandi, cattle farm and bus stand from the city area had been started.

Earlier, Syed Nadir Shah apprised the participants about the development schemes launched by the district government of Shikarpur and funds spent in last two years.