LAHORE, July 6: President Gen Pervez Musharraf approved on Saturday constitution of provincial finance commissions to allocate funds to the district governments from the provincial consolidated fund, making them stronger in financial and administrative matters.

Every finance commission would work under the finance minister of the province concerned, having three economists, and one each district, tehsil and union council Nazim as its members.

The president approved the commission while presiding over a meeting here at the Governor’s House. It was attended by Governor Khalid Maqbool, National Reconstruction Bureau Chairman Tanvir Naqvi and its members, and secretaries of the departments concerned.

The president said the federal and provincial governments would not be able to change the formula to be prepared by the finance commissions for the provision of finances to the district governments, tehsil municipal administration and union councils for their development projects and non-developmental expenditure.

He said the step would make the programme of decentralization of power a reality, enabling the elected local governments to devise developmental strategy in accordance with the needs of their respective areas and ground realities.