FDA to complete 14 development schemes in fiscal year 2012

FATA Development Authority (FDA) will complete 14 schemes in different sectors including small dams, minerals, industries and skill development in current financial year. The government in the annual development programme (ADP) for financial year 2011-12 will spend an amount of Rs 1.452 billion on 30 ongoing and 20 new schemes in different sectors in FATA.
This was told during 6th meeting of the Steering Committee for FATA Development Authority (FDA) held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House, Islamabad on Friday. Governor, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Barrister Masood Kausar presided over the meeting. The meeting, attended by the members of the committee discussed a 3-point agenda including review of decisions taken in the 5th meeting of the Steering Committee; Annual Report of FDA for 2010-11 and the FDA Annual Development Programme for 2011-12.
The meeting was informed that FDA was preparing an Online monitoring system whereby the people would be able to evaluate the performance of FDA. Annual Report of FATA Development Authority for the year 2010-11 was also presented to the Governor containing the macro picture of the ADP showing the sector wise financial utilisation of funds amounting to Rs 837.800 million released during the year for development activities.
Speaking in the meeting of the Steering Committee, the Governor, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Barrister Masood Kausar on Friday said the FATA Development Authority (FDA) to speed up its development efforts in a way that the work done is visible on ground.
"Co-ordination among government functionaries must be established so that developmental activities and progress of work is not affected because of procedural and unusual delays", he added, while presiding over the 6th meeting of Steering Committee for FATA Development Authority at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House Islamabad on Friday.
The Governor said that FDA was a very important organisation for the development of tribal areas and it should really transform the prevalent set up in tribal areas into a modern, progressive, educated and dynamic society. "The security situation in FATA is now far better than the preceding years, therefore the authority should concentrate on completion of ongoing projects on priority basis", he stressed adding that progress must be achieved in the key development sectors like mineral, small dams and skill development.
The Governor further said that all these development activities should be made public and must be shared with the people for their confidence building and satisfaction. He said that after the extension of political parties order to tribal areas, the whole political set up and administration was being updated and consequently the developmental activities would also be speed up. "The beginning of political activities in FATA will usher in a new era of people's empowerment in FATA, which will give a boost to the people's participation in the development initiatives for the benefit of the common tribesmen", the Governor remarked and added "we all need to exhaust all our efforts to change the perception about FATA and portray a good image of it".
Discussing a point regarding Skill Development Initiatives for tribal youth, the Governor described it a more dynamic aspect of the FDA's development programme, saying that its impact was quite visible because common men were deriving benefits directly from it. "It needs a thorough research and evaluation, so that modern trends should be introduced in the training whereby they could also get employment opportunities domestically as well as abroad in addition to the benefit of self-employment", the Governor said.
He also directed the authority to come up with survey and research to find out demanding trends in modern economics so that FATA youth may be trained in the market oriented trades and technologies. Details of the projects approved as well as completed during the year also. Regarding the Annual Development Programme for the current financial year, the meeting was told that FDA would spend Rs 1452 million on 30 on-going and 20 new schemes in different sectors including small dams, mineral, industries and skill development. 14 schemes would be completed during the year.
The meeting was attended by the Federal Minster for Safron Shaukatullah Khan besides Secretary Safron Habibullah Khan, Additional Chief Secretary FATA Fazal Karim Khattak, Chief Executive FDA Shahrukh Arbab and General Managers and Managers of FATA Development Authority.