UNDP Plans For South Punjab Uplift To Reach Execution Stage In Next Two Months: ACS

UNDP plans for south Punjab uplift to reach execution stage in next two months: ACS

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th May, 2023 ) :Additional Chief Secretary south Punjab Captain (Retired) Saqib Zafar said on Tuesday that United Nations Development Programme was busy compiling data with the help of the Planning and Development board Punjab to carve out a regional plan for sustainable development in south Punjab that can lay the foundation for lifting people out of poverty and infrastructure development.

Saqib Zafar was speaking at a workshop organized in collaboration with South Punjab secretariat, UNDP Pakistan and south Punjab Development Forum, aimed at moving forward with the dialogue among stakeholders, policymakers, industry leaders, civil society and government functionaries to pace up development in the underdeveloped south Punjab, composed of three divisions comprising 11 districts.

The administrative secretaries of different departments of south Punjab, economic experts, and stakeholders participated.

He identified agriculture and livestock as the strengths of south Punjab that can be rejuvenated through a robust process of modernization.

He said that Covid-19 and floods had crippled the livelihoods across south Punjab and there was need to lift people out of this shock impact. He said that the whole exercise was aimed at finalizing a regional development plan, which he added, would be ready soon and would hopefully enter the execution stage in the next two months.

He said, since the development funds allocated for south Punjab cannot be moved anywhere else, the institutions engaged in infrastructural uplift needed enhanced capacity to extract maximum benefits out of the opportunity for the greater good of the people.

He recalled that a 'Deep Dive' conference involving international financial institutions and ambassadors of different countries was held to prepare recommendations for capacity building of departments and eradicate poverty from south Punjab. These recommendations targeting five sectors were being implemented to raise the standard of living of the people. Pace of development would accelerate with the improvement in capacity of departments concerned, he added.

He lauded UNDP and SPDF for wide ranging consultancy initiatives and suggested that recommendations should be listed as a five-year programme and promised that south Punjab secretariat would make it part of their development plan.

Ms. Ammara Durrani, assistant resident representative, development policy unit, UNDP Pakistan, said, regional equalization was the policy focus of both Federal and provincial governments and added that south Punjab was the focus for being least developed and marginalized.

She said they have mapped south Punjab problems, issues and development needs and selected some four to five key priority areas that should get financing. She said that UNDP was providing technical assistance and advisory support to the government.

CFO Unicef Wilbroad Ngambi, and joint chief economist P&D Board Punjab Dr Amanullah were also present.