Provinces to control 60pc of uplift budget

KABUL (PAN): The provinces would be given control over 60 percent of the development budget to implement small development projects at the local level, the finance minister promised on Thursday.

But huge uplift schemes would continue to be implemented by the ministries concerned, Dr, Omar Zakhilwal told a news conference at the conclusion of the three-day Governors’ Conference in Kabul.

Flanked by several other ministers, Zakhilwal held out the assurance after a number of governors complained a day earlier that they were not taken on board over most projects executed in the provinces

Minister of Economy Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal said a special allocation would be made for the provinces in the annual budget. The governors would spend the funds on requisite projects, he announced.

Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) head Abdul Khaliq Farahi, whose organisation arranged the conference, said they had discussed with the 34 governors over the past three days the problems and challenges facing the provinces.

Farahi said the participants focused on the achievements made so far in areas of local reforms, merit-based recruitment, capacity building, economic development and peace negotiations with fighters.

Also present on the occasion, Security Transition Commission Chairman Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai said they had conferred on the meausures that should be prioratised in the remaining 10 months tenure of the government.

He said different the attendees discussed various ways and means of reassuring the people about post-2014 situation.

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