More liabilities will be transferred to provinces: Daniyal

05 May, 2006

National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) Chairman Daniyal Aziz said that more liabilities would be transferred to provinces and complexities emerging in allocation of funds would be resolved.
Briefing reporters after the closing session of a two-day conference on 'Fiscal Decentralisation Conference' here at a local hotel on Thursday, he said that the fiscal decentralisation would benefit provinces.
He said Fifth National Finance Commission (NFC) Award has been announced and provinces would be allocated more funds to take control of their matters. The flow of funds would move to Districts and Tehsils, he added.
To a question he said that Local government system is very transparent as the provinces were regularly providing reports and information about development activities at grass roots level. Data collected shows promising results and services to grass roots level.
Moreover, he said the local bodies are answerable to the people who have access to their representatives and thus all the activities are in black and white. The chairman NRB acknowledged that quality of the system is yet to be assessed and needs improvement but said this would only come when system is fully streamlined.
Comparing present system with the past, he said 100 percent allocated budget was utilised under the present system whereas in the past policy of favouritism and victimisation, lack of authority on the part of the provinces and delay in identification were major reasons behind non-utilisation of the allocated budget.
He said the government has completely stopped financial support from IMF and seeks only consultation assistance whereas World Bank is still providing fundings.

Read Comments