LAHORE, May 22: Training of budget makers of 25 district governments and 105 tehsil municipal administrations in the Punjab is in final stages, it is learnt. Sources told Dawn that the introduction of the new budget rules in 2003 necessitated the capacity building and training of the officials concerned.

Keeping in view the demand generated by local governments from all provinces, the federal government initiated the Decentralization Support Programme (DSP) to carry forward reforms in the area of local governance.

Funded by the Asian Development Bank, the objective of the DSP was to better service delivery by improving local government representation, accountability and efficiency.

The Punjab Provincial Programme Support Office (PPSO) was established in October 2003 under the DSP to develop and formulate technical investment proposals (TIPs), provide assistance in capacity building and training of local government representatives by developing technical modules and support material.

Creating linkage within local government, outreaching various stakeholders in the LG, civil society and media through policy dialogue, communication material and workshops were the other objectives.

Around 700 officers and officials of the district governments and the TMAs had so far been trained by the PPSO in budget preparation according to the revised budget rules.

Under a pilot project of the PPSO, some 200 officers and officials of 10 districts and 16 TMAs were trained by December 2004 in Lahore.

“The project was extended in January 2005 and training of an additional 1,400 officers and officials of the remaining 105 TMAs and 24 district governments is likely to be completed by the end of the current month,” sources said.—Staff Reporter