ZHOB: Concerns expressed over budget making process at district level

By:  Rafiullah Mandokhail

ZHOB: In order to identify the loopholes in preparing the district annual fiscal plan, encourage public participation and discourage political interventions Action for Welfare and Awakening in Rural Environment (AWARE) Organization in collaboration with Center for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) launched a report entitled ‘Study of budget making process at district level’ here at assembly hall Zhob. Chief guest of the event was Chairman Municipal Committee Engineer Abdul Rehman Mandokhail. Stakeholders, government officials, representatives of non-governmental organizations and media persons attended the ceremony.

Sharing details of the report with the participants Provincial Coordinator CPDI Muhammad Asif and Executive Director AWARE Abid Sherani shed light on report and said it reveals that Budget Call Letters are delayed, budget timeline is not followed properly, not a single district out of 20 surveyed district involves the general public and stakeholders in budget making process, no district has an updated website, only four districts issue pre-budget statements and only one district has a separate budget branch.

They termed the budget an important policy document of the government and said that CPDI demands transparency and citizens’ participation in its making process that lacked at the district level in the province.

“It aims to determine the level of public participation in the budget-making process and also to help in identifying the gaps in the mentioned process.” They said.

Chairman Engineer Abdul Rehman Mandokhail, Deputy Chairman Haji Naseeb Nasar, Team Leader HDF Muhammad Ikram and Naeem Gul Mandokhail also spoke on the occasion.

Published in The Balochistan Point on November 23, 2018