Sherani: Action for Welfare and Awakening in Rural Environment (AWARE) Organization in collaboration with Center for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) launched a report entitled ‘Study of budget making process at district level’ here in Sherani district.

The session was aimed to identify the loopholes in preparing the district annual fiscal plan, encourage public participation and discourage political interventions. Chief guest of the session was Social Welfare Officer Malik Ehsan-ul-Haq Mandokhail. Stakeholders, government officials, councilors, representatives of non-governmental organizations and media persons attended the ceremony.

Sharing details of the report with the participants Provincial Coordinator CPDI Muhammad Asif and Executive Director AWARE Abid Sherani shed light on report and said it reveals that Budget Call Letters are delayed, budget timeline is not followed properly, not a single district out of 20 surveyed district involves the general public and stakeholders in budget making process, no district has an updated website, only four districts issue pre-budget statements and only one district has a separate budget branch. They termed the budget an important policy document of the government and said that CPDI demands transparency.

Published in Pakistan Observer