QUETTA: World Bank officials will soon visit Balochistan as part of their plan to extend financial cooperation to the province.
Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Khan Zehri met WB president Dr Jim Yong Kim in Karachi during the latter’s recent visit to Pakistan and discussed details of the arrangement. The meeting was also attended by the bank’s vice president Annette Dixon, country director Patchamutho Illangovan and provincial government officials and lawmakers.
The chief minister briefed the WB delegation about the proposed development schemes in various sectors such as maternal and child health, capacity building of teachers, Pishin Development Programme, environmental improvement and development of Quetta and coastal areas.
The meeting also discussed the introduction of reforms in health and education sectors, projects pertaining to mines and minerals, water, environment and provision of vocational and technical training to youth.
The WB team was informed that the provincial government had given priority to the education and health sectors by increasing their allocations from 5 per cent to 24pc and from 4pc to 12pc in the current budget.
Mr Zehri said that one of the biggest challenges faced by his government was the scarcity of water which had adversely affected the agriculture and livestock sectors, adding that unemployment and the dilapidated condition of health and education facilities were other serious challenges.
He requested Mr Kim to extend financial cooperation to his government to help overcome these problems.
Mr Kim said that the WB team would review the government’s agenda and work with them to help implement the development projects.
Ms Dixon said she had already visited Balochistan, adding that more officials of the WB would soon visit the province to review their suggestions regarding the development schemes.
The meeting was informed that the WB had allocated Rs60 billion for development projects, some of which had been completed while work on others was under way.
Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2016