LANDI KOTAL, Nov 20: The Fata Rural Development Project (FRDP) has carried out development schemes worth Rs806.66 million in Khyber, Mohmand and Bajaur agencies during the last two years.

In a briefing to journalists in Jamrud on Thursday, FRDP senior social organiser Haroon Shinwari said they had Rs3,509.906 million at their disposal to be spent on development of tribal areas in five years. Financed by the Asian Development Bank, the FRDP aims at reducing poverty in Khyber, Mohmand and Bajaur agencies by assisting communities to build improved and sustainable livelihoods.

Mr Shinwari said the project was striving to improve productive potential of participating watersheds and their associated natural resource base, strengthen the capacity of communities in the project area to participate in planning, implementation, social and environmental management and maintenance of assets emanating from local development programmes and to support the implementing department to operate in more socially inclusive manner within the framework of convergent watershed development planning process.

He said 974 community organisations (jirgas) had been formed in the three agencies. Elaborating on working of the jirgas, he said each jirga comprised 25 to 50 houses, which placed a common demand that was then evaluated by a survey team of the FRDP to decide about its feasibility.

In order to maintain transparency in fund spending, he said, the FRDP opened a joint account with the jirga concerned. A jirga could spend a maximum of Rs3 million on a particular project, he added.

Mr Shinwari said that despite threats, deteriorating law and order situation and ongoing army operations, their three project implementation units in Bajaur, Mohmand and Khyber were still intact and operational. He said one of their vehicles hijacked by militants was still missing.

He said the FRDP had so far imparted skill development training in computer repair, welding, mobile phone repair, electrician, tailoring, refrigeration and air-conditioner repair to about 270 educated tribal unemployed youths during the last two years. Alongside skill development, he said, students were given a monthly stipend of Rs3,000 and boarding facility.