HYDERABAD: The Sindh Community Foundation (SCF), a nonprofit organisation, on Sunday conducted a consultative session in Hyderabad under TABEER programme for Sustainable Development Goals 16 (SDGs) that commits the community to work together to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide justice for good governance, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.
Reportedly, academia and government officials held an interactive and constructive dialogue calling for a mechanism of social accountability to devise a fair and equitable budget allocation as a utility for public services.
The representatives further emphasised on the need to have solutions that are people-centric and possess need-based budget allocation system that delivers funds in defined time to complete the development schemes as early as possible for addressing the grievances of the citizens.
The academicians and government officials include SCF head professor Javed Hussain, Sindh Agriculture University Ismael Kumbhari, Jamshoro Sindh University (SU) department of media and communication studies Dr Shazia Shahab, Radio Pakistan ex-director Naseer Mirza, SU Sindh Development Studies Centre director Dr Ghulam Ali Jarikoo, SU Sindh Development Studies Centre professor Dr Shahab Mughal, writer and educationist Syed Zawar Naqvi, sports and education department DDO Tanvir Durrani, SCF Hameed Mallah, Social Welfare Department representatives Sarang Sahto and Irfan Bughio, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET) Agha Babar, Sindh Text Book Board (STBB) former subject specialist Shafee Chandio and other notables were also present on the occasion.
They analysed various dimensions regarding the implementation of SDGs in its true spirit and essence, and examined its critical issues including accountability, budget allocation process, utility process and assurance of proper participation of citizens.
Jamshoro SU Sindh Development Studies Centre director Dr Ghulam Ali Jarikoo Dr Ghulam Ali Jariko expressed his views and said that all social issues are interlinked with poverty and lack of resources, and hence all 15 SDGs would contribute adequately towards the achievement of SDG goals those include access to justice, strong institutions, transparent institutions, and peaceful and inclusive society.
“40 percent of the annual budget is not utilised properly,” he said.
Sindh Agriculture University Professor Ismael Kumbhar emphasised on ‘ineffective’ right to information, a fundamental right secured by the constitution of Pakistan, however its ineffectiveness interlinks with application of budget utilities regarding public development schemes.
Professor Shahab Mughal claimed that most of the time, the budget is formulated without proper feasibility study and examining the scale of social issues.
“Citizens must be consulted while formulating budgets, and there is no need to include opinion of a large number of people,” he added.
Meanwhile, Naseer Mirza urged to stop corruption within government departments as even drinking water is not available while people are forced to use polluted water and unhygienic eatables that cause deadly diseases to spread.
The participants demanded the ‘actual’ involvement of citizens in the budgeting making process and tracking the utility of budget.
They urged a transparent flow of budget while its impact on the lives of the general public should be visible and clear.
Furthermore, they stressed to reduce the social issues of the most marginalised sections of the society including youth, women, disabled persons, minorities and labourers.
The key speakers further asserted that the implementation process of SDGs at local level is very slow and inadequate, and there is need to orient the government representatives on the modern concepts of equitable resource allocations and utility of budgets.
Published in Daily Times, June 11th 2018.