SHANGLA: Participants in a seminar in Shangla urged transparency and citizens’ participation in the budget-making process a district level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a study report revealed transparency and citizen’s participation in the budget-making process was found lacking at the district level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
A seminar was organized by Center for peace and development initiative CPDI here at Bisham on Wednesday, which was attended by members of local government, social activists, village secretaries and other local people.
“District Government Budget Rules 2016”, transparency and citizens’ participation in the budget-making the process at the district level in KP. The first draft of the district budget should be presented in April to ensure timely input from citizens,” said Raja Shoaib Akbar, Senior Programme Manager at the CPDI, while sharing the details of the study with partner organizations.
He said that CPDI had conducted a budget study which has revealed transparency and citizen’s participation in the budget-making process was found lacking at the district level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He added that budget Call letters were delayed; consultation with relevant stake holders not held, only two districts had functional websites and 85 posts remained vacant in district budget branches while in 10 districts deputy officer planning seat vacant during last fiscal year.
Shamsul Hadi Provincial Coordinator KP Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) said that Budget is the most important policy document of the government, in the modern day, state policies are supposed to be formulated through active public participation. Divulging the details, he said the local governments (LGs) had failed to include stakeholders in the budget-making process.

Published in The Northern Post