Citizen Charter Program: 2,000 projects implemented

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MoRRD) on Saturday said 2,000 projects have been implemented under the first phase of the Citizen Charter Program in villages across the country.

The National Citizen Charter program, one of the government’s inter-ministerial programs, was launched in September 2016. The program consists of three phases and initially covers one-third part of the country in 34 provinces.

The ten-year plan is aimed at building schools, roads, access to clean water, water heads, water storages, irrigation canals, retaining walls, road development in cooperation with village development councils.

According to the ministry, budget for the program has been estimated at more than $1 billion and $630 million of it has been allocated for its first four years.

Rural Rehabilitation and Development Minister Mujib Rahman Karimi, told a three-day ‘National Consultative Councils of Development’ of the National Citizen Charter Program that such meetings were being held once after every two years to review activities and achievements of the program and development councils.

Karimi said currently 8,500 projects have been under construction and 2,000 have been implemented and put into services.

He said, $ 253 million had been sent to the accounts of village councils and for implementation of the projects. He added local people also contributed a 10 percent share of the projects.

Deputy Director of Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) Abdul Baqi Popal said 12,000 development councils have been created in 123 districts of provinces under the program.

He said men and women equally benefited from the program but in cities, women were given a 10 percent more share.

Haji Abdul Jabar, a development council head in Ahmadabad district of southeastern Paktia province, said all projects of the programs were based on people needs in areas of irrigation, construction of canals, bridges and local squares.

He added that the role of people in implementation of the projects ensured quality of works.

Pk/ma