PESHAWAR, Sept 15: The Planning Commission has revised the standard template of PC-I for social sector projects to make them gender- responsive in consultation with line ministries, provincial governments and the government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

An official said on Saturday the revised PC-1 document would now contain gender-specific information like project benefits and analysis and management structure.

Future social development projects would also be required to submit information about manpower requirements during execution and operational phases, the official said.

He said the initiative was taken in the line with the objectives of the Mid-Term Development Framework (2005–10) and the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals.

The official remarked that the Public Sector Development Programme was an indicator of the level and direction of development, and its total volume had increased from Rs202 billion in 2004-05 to Rs724 billion in 2007-08, showing an increase of almost 300 per cent.

Even though the government intended to deliver the benefits equally to women and men at the grass-roots level, it lacked an institutional mechanism at formulation stage, the official said.

But, he said, all federal ministries and provincial governments would now follow the revised PC-1 document that addressed the gender mainstreaming issues.