DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Nov 6: Women councillors complained at a workshop here that they are not being given development funds.

At the day-long training workshop, organized by Integrated Rural Development Organization (Irdo) in collaboration with European Commission’s social action project, women members of the district, Tehsil and union councils accused the bureaucracy of not giving them importance.

They said women representatives were ignored in development activities of the local governments.

It was the 6th workshop of Irdo in the district held to review the last year’s performance of district and Tehsil governments and problems faced by the Nazims, Naib Nazims and councillors.

District Councillor Bilquees Ara alleged that women councillors were ignored in development activities of the district and Tehsil governments and their proposed schemes were not accepted for consideration.

She stated that when women councillors lodged their protest, they were informed by the authorities that no notification had been issued to include them in development activities.

Musazai Sharif Union Council Nazim Sheikh Mohammad Salim alleged that the district Nazim had a discriminatory attitude with members of the council and no funds had been allocated to his union council in the last year.

Badar Farooq Mughal, a journalist, claimed that funds allocated to the district government through Provincial Finance Award were not utilized properly. He said that under the PFA, 60 per cent of the province’s revenue would be allocated to the districts. —PPI