ISLAMABAD, Dec 29: President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz have stressed the need for accelerating the benefits of economic revival and growth to the people by speeding up various development programmes in the country at the grassroots level.

The president and the prime minister gave the directives to this effect early this week at a meeting which reviewed progress regarding the ongoing development schemes with particular focus on the Khushhal Pakistan Programme which has recently been revived by the government on the directive of the prime minister.

The schemes under the programme include gas supply, rural electrification, farm-to-market roads, water supply, sewerage and sanitation, as well as repair and rehabilitation of health and educational facilities. The two leaders underscored the need for maintaining transparency and merit with regard to utilization of funds for all these projects.

They emphasized that views of elected representatives of the people should also be incorporated while selecting the schemes. The two leaders also directed the utilities companies to further increase capacity for undertaking the projects through outsourcing and other means. -APP