Immediate withdrawal of endowment fund from SRSP demanded

The Standing Committee of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Planning and Development (P&D) has called for immediate withdrawal of endowment fund from Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) within a period of fifteen days and has termed the measure illegal.
Furthermore, the panel has also asked the Department of Planning and Development for obtaining of physical verification of certificate from the members provincial assembly concerned to verify actual position regarding schemes carried out by the rural support programme.
The report was prepared by the standing committee on a question raised by ANP legislator Saqibullah Khan Chamkani. The standing committee comprises of Mohammad Zamin Khan, chairman and members including senior minister, Rahimdad Khan, Saqibullah Khan Chamkani, Mehmood Alam, Malik Hayat Khan, Prince Javed, Shagufta Malik, Nargis Samin and Zubaida Ehsan.
The mover, Saqibullah Khan Chamkani through his question have raised objections over the obtaining of the services of non-governmental organisation (NGO) and handing over of different development schemes to it.
The mover was of the view that the department had given huge funds from the government treasury to SRSP for carrying development schemes, which he said is violation of Rules and Procedure of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 1985, which has limited the activities of the department to only planning.
The department, he said under SDU (Special Development Unit) has obtained the responsibility of execution, which is totally illegal. The SDU was established under the department the implementation of only Gadoon Amazai project, but department in the rules and regulations is carrying different development schemes under the same.
The Department had paid an amount of 1.5 billion to SRSP, out of which Rs 500 million was given in shape of endowment fund. Despite presence of comprehensive system for development works the giving of this fund is tantamount to the wastage of national exchequer while the NGO kept in its own account that also for a long period and used to receive a huge amount in shape of interest. Other objections were unnecessary new recruitments for the projects concerned.
Furthermore, the provincial government have obtained loan for the project concerned and in case of the payment of mark-up in proportion to the rate of that period would have saved the expenses of the government, which now on behalf of the NGO is being borne by the provincial government. The project is in progress since last three years, without including the opinion of the public representatives while the fund is paid from the government treasury, which should be brought into the notice of public representatives.
The officials of the Department of Planning and Development, SDU and SRSP represented their respective organisations time to time and presented explanation to questions raised in the meetings of the committee.
The officials in their explanations said that SRSP works under the supervision of a Board of Directors, which also enjoy the co-operation of the government. They said that due to difficulties in the completion of the schemes through normal procedure some of them were initiated under public private partnership.
According to the PC-I of the scheme for Poverty Alleviation, the amount of Rs 1.5 billion were allocated in the budget of 2008-09, out of which Rs 500 million were given to SRSP in shape of endowment, which is works under the supervision of P&D and receives funds reflected in the ADP, the scheme concerned is also part of the programme.
Initially the scheme is initiated in 146 union councils of four districts including Upper Dir, Batgram, Mardan and Karak and later it would be extended to the whole province.
The reason behind selection of SRSP for the implementation of the project was their experience in field work, which will follow the instructions of the government. They said that the launching of the project through government employees would have increased the expenses of the government. As the government does not pay salary to SRSP, therefore the fund is deposited in the bank and expenses are borne from the profit of the amount.
The committee was also told that the approval of public private partnership had been approved by the Ministry of Finance on the provincial department of finance has prepared a comprehensive development strategy. For the preparation of terms and conditions for public-private partnership a public private bidding conference was also arranged in which different organisations presented their bids, but due to highest bid the programme was given to SRSP.
The programme has an effective framework of public representatives. Government, civil society and community while in district concerned with the programme, District Implementation Committees are working under the supervision of District Co-ordination Officers (DCOs). The officials defended the payment of endowment fund as per policy of the government, whose approval had been given by the provincial assembly. The PC-I of the programme, they said has been formally approved by the top authorised forum, which also contains the use of the fund.
The committee was requested for the continuation of the endowment fund on experimental bases as maximum work has been carried out and its stoppage I the prevailing situation will not be in the interest of the province. Furthermore, the committee was told that work on the programme is in progress as per PC-I. Therefore, they said that any change at this juncture will be required the very PC-I of the programme.