These views were expressed by the members of World Bank delegation in a briefing regarding the foreign funded projects of Punjab Government. The World Bank delegation was comprised of executive directors of bank, alternate executive director and other staff members of the Bank.
Punjab Education Minister Mian Imran Masood, Law Minister Raja Basharat, Agriculture Minister Arshad Lodhi, Finance Minister Hasnain Bahadur Dreshak and Punjab Chief Secretary Kamran Rasool attended the briefing. Secretaries of Health, Irrigation, Education, Finance and Chairman Planning and Development Board Punjab gave presentations about economic affairs and development plans in their respective departments.
Secretary Education Shahid Rashid said that World Bank has already released $100 million for the first phase of ESRP, and it is encouraging that World Bank has observed that this programme is moving well. Preliminary reports indicate improvement in enrolment in schools, and the World Bank is convinced that programme is on track, he added.
He pointed out that the Bank has agreed in principle to provide $100 million for next year.
The meeting was informed that Punjab government has approved Punjab Barrages Project. The main object of the project is to preserve Taunsa Barrage, which is a vital structure on Indus River. Loan negotiations in this regard were held in November 2004, and bank agreed to provide a loan of $ 123 million.
The meeting was also informed that chief minister has approved the proposal of making a request to World Bank for financing 80 percent cost of Punjab Land Record Management Project, which is estimated to be $3.6 billion. The district governments would be asked to share remaining cost of the project.
Representing the chief minister Punjab, the Education minister, Mian Imran Masood unfolding details of Vision-2020, said that under this vision by 2020, Punjab would be fully literate, fully employed, skilled, talented, tolerant, culturally sophisticated and internationally connected.
Highlighting the steps taken under (ESRP), he said 8.8 million students from class one to five in the government schools were delivered 12.2 million free textbooks at a total cost of Rs 494 million.
In the next financial year, programme of free distribution of books will be extended to class six to eight at a total cost of Rs 600 million. With a view to halt dropout of female students, a stipend scheme at the rate of Rs 200 per month per girl has been introduced in 15 selected districts. An amount of Rs 350 million was allocated for the distribution of stipend for first year. Expenditure to be incurred till end June would be Rs 334 million. The target population of such girls in the 15 low literacy district was 2,00,000.
Punjab Education Foundation has been restructured with reduced bureaucratic control and allocating Rs 100 million for the first year. 70 percent of the funds of the Foundation would be extended to rural and backward areas. The net effect of the Education Reforms Programme resulted in an increase of enrolment at primary level of 900,000 students, he added.
Members of the delegation were of the view that Punjab Education Sector Reforms Programme is a comprehensive development plan in this sector, which will prove to be a result-oriented scheme introduced in the best interest of the children relating to less privileged groups.
They expressed satisfaction over the performance of the government in social sector especially in the field of education. He was of the view that the programme implementation is very much on track and the Government of Punjab has taken steps to maintain programme momentum.
They further stated that the reform programme is being monitored effectively both through high level oversight of the Chief Minister as well through the Programme Steering Committee chaired by the Chief Secretary and funds provided by the World Bank have been utilised for the welfare of poor strata of the society in a transparent manner.