Foreign assistance: K-P govt to launch development programme

The programme will be implemented in six districts of Malakand Division.

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government has launched an €80 million ‘District Governance & Community Development Programme’ for six militancy-hit districts of Malakand Division with assistance from the European Union (EU).

Minister for Finance Sirajul Haq was the chief guest at the launching ceremony held on Tuesday in Islamabad.

Out of the €80 million, €64 million has been allocated to sector budget support in the target districts, while €7.5 million was earmarked for capacity building of local government officials and €7.3 million for community mobilisation.

The programme aims to contribute towards effective development and peace building strategies for the K-P government. It includes making the government more accountable and providing equal opportunities for people to gain access to better health, education and employment. The programme will be implemented in Malakand, Swat, Shangla, Lower Dir, Upper Dir and Chitral districts.

The programme also aims to transform public administration at district level by promoting economic growth which is community driven. It also aims to enhance human, technical and organisational capacities of district and tehsil government agencies. The initiative addresses three strategic objectives of the Post-Crisis Needs Assessment, which includes building responsiveness and effectiveness of the state to restore the trust of citizens.

The programme further prioritises investment in community development in the six Malakand Division districts to respond to specific local demands and to provide an inclusive, representative system of community mobilisation. This includes villages in all union councils of the division.

Finance minister Haq termed the programme as a “flagship of community driven initiative for development” and appreciated the EU and its taxpayers for contributing to it.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2013.