CDWP may approve 'Municipal Services Delivery Programme' project of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) is likely to approve the 'Municipal Services Delivery Programme' project of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at an estimated cost of Rs 8.48 billion, in its forthcoming meeting scheduled for October 21, 2011, it is learnt.
According to sources, the project is to be completed in five years and will be financed by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) the and government of Pakistan. USAID would provide Rs 7.37 billion ie 86.96 percent of the project cost, and the government of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa would provide Rs 1.11 billion ie 13.04 percent.
The project would be for Peshawar, Malakand and Dera Ismail Khan Divisions. In the first year of the project, USAID would provide Rs 1.222 billion, second year Rs 1.613 billion, third year 1.309 billion, fourth year Rs 2.007 billion, and fifth year Rs 1.221 billion, and GoKP would contribute Rs 1.106 billion in these five years.
The main objectives of the programme are to establish a collaborative partnership between USAID and government of Pakistan for urban sector policy, program design and implementation, upgrade provincial information systems planning, operation, monitoring and evaluation, deepen the capacities of local government administration and to improve basic delivery in a more transparent and accountable manner.
The programme has been formulated in the light of KP comprehensive strategy 2011-17 to bring sustained improvement in municipal services delivery to efficiently address the basic needs of citizens in small and medium towns of province of KP. In this regard, an activity agreement for Khyber Pakhtunkha Municipal Services Delivery Programme has also been signed by the USAID/Pakistan.
Sources said that the programme is associated with a series of projects funded by USAID and implemented by GoKP for which certain process and procedures have already been developed; but there is need for further improvement in these system/procedures. The overall policy guidelines would be provided by Program Steering Committee and set of criteria, mutually agreeable to USAID/Pakistan and GoKP, will be established for selection of districts and towns located within divisions designed for assistance.
The programme would also focus on upgradation of public services in specific municipalities and capacity building of GoKP and to upgrade its emerging provincial spatial data infrastructure to enable proposed urban policy unit to develop policies and plans for all municipal services. Joint Chief Economist of Planning Commission, Asif Sheikh, confirmed that the meeting of CDWP would be held on October 21, 2011.