PESHAWAR, Jan 24: The National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) will launch a campaign in four districts of the NWFP to create awareness about objectives of the devolution plan at the local level to ensure community participation in the development process.

The campaign would be launched in collaboration with the Communication for Effective Social Service Delivery (CESSD), a project of the Canadian International Development Agency, NRB media adviser Dr Tariq Niazi told a news conference here on Wednesday. CESSD project manager Khalid Saleem was also present.

Dr Niazi said arranging interaction with community groups, civil society organisations and elected and appointed members of local governments to ensure community participation at the local government level would be main activities of the campaign.

Similarly, he said, facilitating local governments in setting up priorities for development budget, advocacy to strengthen project selection of citizen community boards and educating local communities for their role in local level planning were some of other activities to be undertaken under the campaign.

Mr Saleem said the aim of the project was to improve the quality of basic social services in the NWFP under the devolved system of government. He said the project was working in Peshawar, Nowshera, Swat and Abbottabad.

He said the project would promote use of effective communication methods to improve collaboration among stakeholders, including local governments, communities and the civil society.

Mr Saleem was of the view that even after completing the first tenure of the local bodies system there was confusion and lack of clarity about roles and responsibilities.

He said even elected representatives were unaware about development planning, priority setting and allocation of funds for uplift projects.

He said the media had an important role in highlighting flaws in the existing local bodies system.

He urged the media to pinpoint such issues in the four target districts of the province.