NWFP Governor Lieutenant General Ali Muhammad Jan Aurakzai (Retd) Saturday received a presentation on South FATA Development Project and stressed upon increased community participation in the project activities, which he added was the spirit of this development endeavour being implemented with the assistance of IFAD.
The Project Director gave the presentation. Secretary to Governor Azmat Hanif and Secretary P and D FATA Zafar Hassan besides other officials attended the presentation.
The Governor desired that concerned political authorities should give full patronage and support to the project so that its activities are implemented in a conducive atmosphere and bottlenecks, if any be removed in a timely manner. He added that if there is any apprehensions and misconceptions of some quarters about the project it's needed to be removed through awareness campaign.
Under the project, it will be the public who will identify schemes and would be overall responsible to implement the same through the community-based organisations. The Governor said that all problems and issues, impeding smooth implementation on project activities must be addressed and resolved in time. The Governor directed that recruitment of the deficient staff should be completed in one month's period and project employees be given attractive packages commensurate with their qualifications and experience.
Earlier during the presentation, the Governor was informed that this Rs 1.198 billion project had been started in three tribal Agencies ie, Kurram, North Waziristan and South Waziristan in 2004 and would be completed in March 2011.
The project goal was to improve the socio-economic condition of the tribesmen of the respective Agencies and improve the quality of life through the concept of community based sustainable development approach.
The sectors, where the project envisaged intervention are community development, agricultural development, rural infrastructure development and rural finance services.
So far Rs 321 million had been spent under the project on 319 community based schemes, medical camps and participatory monitoring workshops. Similarly a number of community groups had also been trained in managerial and technical skills.
Training also imparted in livestock, agriculture and forestry, by way of organising workshops and demonstration plots. Under the project improved quality seeds, fertilisers and pesticides were also distributed among the farmers. The Governor lamented that due to certain serious law and order situation, the project would not have the desired impact in Waziristan.
He however directed that in South Waziristan Agency Suleman Khel and Dotani tribesmen should undertake activities in WANA sub-division especially in Toe khulla Tehsil. Upon improvement of situation in other parts of Waziristan, the activities could be taken up there.