TIMERGARA: A non-profit civil society organisation has compiled a study showing that budget making process at district level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is dismally weak and called for proper training and provision of required facilities to the concerned officers to ensure efficient budget making.

The study on budget making process in KP by the Centre for Peace and Development Initiative (CPDI) highlights that the budget preparation process is very weak in 18 districts (86 per cent), and moderate in 14 districts.

The report was launched at the Chakdara Press Club on Monday during a ceremony attended by social activists, journalists and elders.

CPDI programme manager Syed Kausar Abbas informed the participants that the budget call letters (BCL) was not circulated on time in 67 per cent districts in case of health, 63 per cent districts in case of education and 55 per cent districts in case of agriculture.

The study showed that majority of the departments had not received the budget calendar at all, pointed out Mr Abbas, saying that even the date of release of budget was not mentioned in many cases.

“Pre-budget consultation is very poor, as no such exercise took place in 90 per cent of the districts,” he maintained, adding that public release of pre-budget statement and preparation and release of citizen budget were not practiced at all.

Mr Abbas said it was observed that there was acute shortage of skilled budget staff in the districts.

The data shows that in agriculture department, 11 districts confirmed the fact that they had not submitted their new development project proposals; in case of education, 13 districts had not submitted the proposals; and in health, six districts couldn’t submit their new development proposals.

The CPDI programme manager said that the survey showed that agriculture and education departments of 11 districts and health department in five districts had no access to the internet facility.

The report asked for capacity building of the district level officers in planning and making of budget, accounting, procurement and monitoring and evaluation.

DOCTORS’ ALLEGED NEGLIGENCE: Fawad, 10, who was the only brother of nine sisters, died at the district headquarters hospital here late on Sunday night due to alleged negligence of doctors.

The relatives, political workers and social activists demanded inquiry into the death of the boy, of Karo Darra area of Upper Dir, who was brought to the emergency ward of the hospital after he felt severe abdominal pain.

The relatives put his body in front of the MS office and chanted slogans against the hospital administration. They alleged that there had been no staffer in the ward to treat the ailing boy.

They said they repeatedly called the male nurse but he too was absent from duty. However, the protesters dispersed after Timergara assistant commissioner issued suspension orders of the male nurse.

Published in Dawn, November 11th , 2014