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Citizens Charter Program to cover the whole communities within one month
By Farhad Naibkhel-KABUL: The Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MoRRD) on Saturday said that 6,000 National Solidarity Program (NSP)’s development projects had been halted due to insecurity across the country in the past 14 years.
The Ministry said that Citizens Charter Program (CCP), that replaced NSP, would cover the whole communities within one month.
“Insecurity hampered 6,000 projects of NSP in different provinces across the country in the past 14 years,” Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, Nasir Ahmad Durani said.
Briefing newsmen here in Kabul, he termed insecurity as the main factor that marred NSP projects in some provinces. “NSP replaced with CCP, and practical work to be kicked off in April.” Through CCP all communities would be covered in cities and urban areas, he added.
He furthered, “all the uncovered areas would be giving priority, and those NSP project that have been halted in 117 districts would be completed through CCP.”
The NSP program has been started in 2003 initiated by the government with collaboration with the World Bank and other donors; in which 85,000 projects at total cost of $1.5 billion has so far been implemented across the country, the Minister elucidated.
“Construction of 53000km rural roads, 100kw solar and generator power, 100,000 water reservation, 60,000 school classrooms and wells, are parts of development projects that have been completed through NSP in the past 14 years.”
Hundreds of other projects such as clinics construction, and irrigation system of one million lands is another projects executed by NSP, he asserted.
Through NSP, 35000 Community Development Council (CDC) have been established, and the council member have been selected most of the projects in the provinces, he claimed.
Pointing to CCP, as an alternative to NSP that would start working in April, the minister said that through CCP all community including cities and urban areas would be covered. “These projects would fill all the gaps in areas of development.”
“Providing health, education, energy and transportation facilities to the citizens would be the main goal of the CCP nationwide with equal balance,” he insisted. “The first phase of CCP is a four years program.
“One billion would be allocated for the first phase of CCP, and at the moment $630 million fund is on hand to start projects,” he underlined.
The World Bank Operations Manager for Afghanistan and South Asia Region Stephen N. Ndegwa, voiced pleasure over NSP program that were strongly supported by the World Bank. However, de said that World Bank is committed to support Citizens Charter Program as well.
