Senior Minister of NWFP Sirajul Haq asked authorities and officials associated with audit, accounts and budget-making affairs to ensure transparent and judicious use of resources and make all funding and budgeting on the basis of facts and needs instead of assumptions.
He was addressing at the inaugural ceremony of 4-day training workshop arranged for officers concerned with local government institutions' budget-making under decentralisation support programme (DSP) of the provincial finance department here on Tuesday.
Sirajul Haq reiterated the pledge of his government of ensuring 100 percent use of resources at the end of every fiscal year.
He regretted that lavish spending of resources without focusing on results has become a common tradition in our officialdom.
While giving examples, he said annual education budget of Kohistan district was Rs 70 million but not a single student could pass the metric exam: such was a matter of state of education officers and teachers in the district, who regularly draw salaries and avail other facilities.
Similarly, he said conditions of school buildings constructed 20 years ago have become dilapidated and people were demanding for its renovation or construction of new building. As compare to this, Mughal-era buildings are still stable which speaks volume to low standard of priority we give to the education sector. Plight of health, communication and other sectors was no different to this.
The minister asked for invoking self-accountability in all and sundry for ameliorating our lot while officials had to resort to reformation and improvement instead of keeping education and training restricted to increasing knowledge only.
He cautioned that the provincial government would not contend on stories of development in outer world by our officials proceeding on foreign trips for training, etc, but would ascertain their capabilities and performance on bringing it in practice and showing improvement in their concerned sectors.
The function was also addressed by provincial finance secretary Ziaur Rehman and project director Rashid Ahmed, who highlighted aims and objectives of the workshop. He urged participants for incorporating the knowledge of national and economic development.