PESHAWAR, Sept 30: District Nazim would have larger say in selection of development schemes falling under the purview of district governments in line with a recently taken provincial government’s decision, according to official sources.

“The district Nazim’s role in connection with selection of development schemes - falling under the purview of district governments - has recently been redefined assigning him a major role,” a well placed provincial government official said.

District Nazim, said the sources, would have decisive powers in selecting development schemes - to be funded by district development funds.

He would take decision in consultation with the Tehsil Nazim and union Nazim concerned in whose area [Tehsil/ union council] the proposed scheme has to be carried out.

Ever since the federal government launched the Khushal Pakistan Programme (KPP) across the country, district development committees had been constituted to identify/design/plan/approve and supervise execution of micro-level development schemes in the district concerned.

The district development committees, comprising members of the civil administration, representatives of non-governmental organizations and head of army’s district monitoring team, was used to take final decision viz-a-viz selection of development works funded under the Khushal Pakistan Programme.

In line with changes brought about recently by the provincial government under the criteria for selection of district-specific development works [to be funded from district’s own resources duly provided by provincial government or federal government], district Nazim would play decisive role having been vested decision making powers, according to sources.

However, the Nazim, said the sources, would need to take consent from the tehsil Nazim and union council Nazim in whose area of jurisdiction the required development work had to be carried out.

The need to involve tehsil and union councils’ Nazims, said the sources, had been necessitated to make the district specific development process participatory and to make best use of development funds.