WB pledges $90m DPC for NWFP
Bureau Report

PESHAWAR—World Bank has assured release of 90 million dollars tranche under Development Policy Credit (DPC-II) to NWFP Government for improvement of social sectors in the province and may increase the amount in special backdrop of devastation of recent earthquake and immense level of backwardness here.
It was revealed in a meeting with WB team leader Paul Wade. The NWFP Senior Minister Sirajul Haq chaired the meeting at Civil Secretariat Peshawar that took stock of the survey report prepared by the WB team for economic development of the province besides discussing various aspects of DPC-II.
It besides others was attended by Secretary Finance Ziaur Rehman, Additional Secretary Aurangzebul Haq, Secretary Establishment and Information Mian Sahib Jan, Additional Secretary Muhammad Hamayun Khan, Provincial Finance Controller Ahmad Hassan and Monitoring Officer Muhammad Imran. Paul wade made clear that WB team was greatly impressed by the financial discipline and austerity measures of NWFP government under the dynamic leadership of Senior and Finance Minister Sirajul Haq and hence WB would insist while releasing the assistance that since special focus would be given to education, health and water supply sectors under DPC-II for economic improvement of the province while all the three sectors were essentially inter related, hence all the affairs should be run and resources spent through Finance Department under the chairmanship of the Senior Minister instead of distributing it to various departments to ensure transparency in spendings and targets achieved well in time. He said the WB had already provided 50 million dollars for earthquake affectees in NWFP that would be made part of DPC-II while the scheduled 90 million dollars would be released in start of May next year well before the budget preparation.
Similarly he said increase in this amount was also expected due to special conditions of the province. He said a high-powered WB mission would also visit NWFP within next couple of months for this purpose. Paul Wade expressed condolence and sympathies with provincial govt. and people on behalf of World Bank on huge human tragedy due to recent horrendous earthquake.
Siraj-ul-Haq while complementing the sympathies and assistance said that provincial govt. was thankful to WB as well as the entire international community for timely help of quake affectees on such critical juncture. He expressed the confidence that this cooperation would not prove temporary but would be maintained on permanent grounds as he said fruit of development and prosperity must be shared with people all over the world.