PESHAWAR, Dec 14: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) formally relaunched its activities with a $2 million Support Innovation in Districts Programme on Sunday at Azakhel Payan in Nowshera district.

The USAID had abandoned its programme in Pakistan some eight years back.

Worldwide head of the USAID, Andrew S. Natsios, who met with the local community representatives in the Azakhel Payan Union Council in Nowshera, 40 kilometres east of here, inaugurated the programme.

Mr Natsios said: “In 1990s, USAID was closed, but in the last two years we made the decision to return to Pakistan.”

He said the programme would focus education, health, democracy/governance and economic opportunities.

USAID started its activities in the NWFP in 1982, but its programme was wound up in 1995.

According to an official statement, the USAID had worked with the national and provincial governments since 1951 to stimulate social and economic growth throughout Pakistan and provided $7 billion to support the country’s development efforts.

Under the new programme, the USAID would provide $75 million for education, health, governance and economic opportunities in 2004.

Mr Natsios, while praising Islamabad’s new local government system, said: “We believe it’s very important and correct decision to devolve powers to village and community level in Pakistan.”

He maintained that the most important part of the system was that the people at grass-roots level had powers to make decisions on their own and asked the district government managers to work with the private sector to contribute to the community.

National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) Chairman Daniyal Aziz said that Pakistan would not compromise on national sovereignty at the cost of aid, although Islamabad was ready to accept financial and technical assistance from donors.

Earlier, a representative of Sarhad Rural Support Programme Kausar Khan informed the USAID chief that 80 per cent population of the Azakhel Payan Union Council was living below the poverty line.

District Nazim Pervez Khattak said 69 per cent area of the Nowshera district was uncultivated, owing to lack of irrigation system while the presence of Afghan refugees had affected the natural resources of the area.