CHITRAL:,,, Young Star Development Organization (YSDO) held an awareness seminar in Drosh town of Lower Chitral in collaboration with CPDI and CNBA on Sunday.
Councilor Zahir Khan was the chief guest on this occasion. Program Manager Abdul Qadir, highlighting the aims and objectives of this seminar, said that it is very important to involve the public and take their opinions in the budgeting process. He said that the main purpose of this seminar is to create awareness among the people and to urge the government institutions to ensure the participation and opinion of the people in the budgeting process because the budget is prepared for the people, therefore, the participation of the people and their involvement is must in it.
Project Manager Inamullah said that it is very important to take the opinions of the people and involve them in the budget making. He said that salaries of government officials and for all development and non-development works, the budget is made from the fund obtained from the taxes of the people, but unfortunately, the opinions of the people are not taking in it. He said that money is allocated in the budget for many purposes which are not for the benefit of the people or the people have no interest in it but it is forced on public without their willing. He said that the main purpose of this seminar and awareness workshop is to put pressure on the relevant institutions of the government to include public opinion in the budgeting process.
Chairman of Young Star Development Organization (YSDO) Asfandiar Khan said that the situation of budget transparency in Pakistan is a very burning issue, He said that Center for Peace and Development Initiative (CPDI) and Citizen Network for Budget in collaboration with YSDO arranging such types of seminar, workshops and sessions to create public awareness. YSDO with the support of National Accountability (CNBA) has started a series of awareness programs and seminars in Upper and Lower Chitral districts with the main objective of creating awareness among the people to exercise their right i.e. budgeting process. He said that unless public opinion is not included in the budgeting process, the finger will be raised on its transparency and people will never be satisfied with the budgeting process. He said that the government and non-government organizations are working for the welfare of the people and they try to create a pressure group for the government so that it includes the opinion of the people in the budgeting process or other development projects. . Talking about the transparency of the budget, Asfandiar said that the process of transparency in budgeting is very important.
United Nations (UN) official Kamal Abdul Jameel also spoke about the budgeting process in this seminar. He said that the purpose and goal of the United Nations is also to raise voice for the rights of people around the world and provide them with facilities.
Farooq Ali Shah Nazim Village Council Drosh also spoke on this occasion. He said that transparency in the budgeting process is very important because often a large part of the budget in our country is spent on unnecessary heads but wasted if this fund is invested for the welfare of the people, it will improve their lives. There can be a lot of positive change.
Ejaz Ahmad, who is considered an expert of NGO sector, said that we cannot put everything on the government as it is not the government’s responsibility to solve 100% of the people’s problems. He said that unless the involvement and participation of the public is ensured in any work, project or development process, the people do not have a sense of belonging and do not care about what we do not consider our own. Until there is a sense of ownership in the people, nothing is safe and no work is completed with integrity.
Chief guest Zahir Khan while appreciating the services of YSDO said that it is the only organization which has been working in different sectors in both the districts of Lower and Upper Chitral for a long time. It plays a key role in providing free treatment to indigent and poor patients, providing free blood to needy patients and burying abandoned dead bodies. He said that it is very important to involve the public and include their opinion in the budgeting process. Allocations are made in the interest of the public and include the welfare of the people whose tax money is spent on various projects approved by the budget. He said that this seminar will benefit the people of the entire region and the entire country and pressure will also increase on the authorities to include the opinion of the people in the budgeting process.
