LAHORE, June 26: People of Pakistan give away more than Rs60 billion in alms every year without achieving any concrete results, National Commission for Human Development chairman, Dr Nasim Ashraf claimed on Wednesday.

He was speaking at a briefing for 20 district Nazimeen arranged by the city district Nazim, Amer Mahmood.

Through proper planning, Dr Ashraf said, the money could be utilized for permanent rehabilitation of the recipients. The elected representatives, he said, could play a significant role in this regard.

He said the commission had been established to facilitate transfer of technological and financial resources available with the overseas Pakistanis and the private sector for achieving health and education sector targets.

He said that the government had devolved powers to the lowest level to enable the people to solve their problems themselves.

Dr Ashraf said he was touring the country on the instructions of President Gen Pervez Musharraf to gather information required for launching comprehensive health and education projects. The implementation of the projects, with the cooperation of the district governments, would also create new jobs.

He said that the commission planned to start its work in 16 districts by spending Rs200 million on its three-year health programme and another Rs200 million on its two-year district human development centres programme. Rs80 million, he said, would be spent in three years on a national volunteer corps programme and another Rs120 million on social marketing and community and media outreach. Rs396 million had been earmarked for a three-year literacy and skill training programme and Rs304 million for a three-year non-formal primary education programme.

In his address of welcome Mr Mahmood said the elected representatives should play their role for development in economic and social sectors.

District Nazimeen Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Jamal Khan Leghari and Mian Naeem Javed assured the commission chairman of their cooperation.