“This is nothing new,” said Sultana. Since 2010, the NCSW has not received any funding for proposals submitted for the PSDP.
ISLAMABAD:
Holding her cell phone at arm’s length, National Council for Social Welfare (NCSW) Director Farhat Sultana squinted an eye to read the number flashing on her screen. “It’s someone calling from an NGO,” she said in a disappointed tone. “There are no funds, what can I do about it?” she asked the caller before ending the less than a minute phone call.
It has been yet another disappointing year for NCSW, which is overseen by the Capital Administration and Development Division.
The council’s budget, Rs19 million for the new financial year has not been approved under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). A major chunk of this is distributed among NGOs for social development programmes.
“This is nothing new,” said Sultana. Since 2010, the NCSW has not received any funding for proposals submitted for the PSDP. “Today, NCSW works with limited resources most of which are generated by the NGOs themselves.”
NCSW was established in 1956 by the government through a resolution as an advisory council which has been amended frequently since its inception. However, with the 18th amendment and subsequent devolution, NCSW’s mandate under the 1961 ordinance has restricted its work to 457 NGOs in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
“There is barely any work for us in the capital. Most of our rural development programmes were scattered across Pakistan, which has now come under the provincial domain, said Sultana.
She was of the view that the provinces lack the capacity and the funds to be able to give social development the priority that it deserves. She suggested reverting the status of NCSW to extend its mandate.
A summary to revise the status of NCSW to make it a federal subject once again has been submitted to the PM Secretariat three to four times in recent years. “There is still no response from the PM Secretariat. Social development might not be a priority for the government,” she added.
Before devolution, NCSW was in charge of monitoring implementation of national social policy objectives as well as benchmark activities and streamlining activities and procedures in line with international standards and conventions ratified by Pakistan.
Now it works to promote public-private partnership, grant national status to NGOs, create awareness for raising social issues, formulate policies and laws, mobilise NGOs in the wake of any disaster and provide professional and financial assistance to them.
A component for disability prevention which is a part of its integrated community development approach also slipped through the cracks in the budgeting this year.
Centres such as the National Council for Social Welfare, National Council for Rehabilitation for Disabled Persons and National Trust for Disabled, National Special Education Centre for Visually Handicapped Children located in Sector G-7 and National Special Education Centre for Intellectually Challenged Children in Sector H-8 are working in isolation, hampered by lack of funding.
Their condition mirrors the state of the development sector which needs attention and support from the government. Lack of political will and government support have relegated the development sector to the back burner, contributing to the failure to meet key elements of the Millennium Development Goals.
Officials are of the view that the new government must introduce legislation to revamp the NCSW, appoint experts and advise the prime minister to assume a leadership role in the council to meet social policy targets.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 28th, 2014.
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