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Agreement with NGOs signed

Japan to raise social sector aid by 10-15pc

ASIF FAROOQI

ISLAMABAD: With the last disbursement to the Pakistani NGOs under the grass roots assistance programme for the year 1999-2000, the Japanese officials announced to raise the social sector aid to Pakistan by 10-15 percent next year.

"We hope to extend 10 to 15 percent more than what has been disbursed this year" Nakagawa, head of the economic section at the Japanese embassy, told reporters after signing ceremony of extension of 0.43 million dollars to the social sector NGOs here at a hotel.

Japanese Ambassador Minoru Kobuta signed the agreements with 12 NGOs extending aid to assist them in the implementation of their projects in the fields of education, health and vocational training sectors.

With this final disbursement, total Japanese assistance to Pakistani social sector through the NGOs comes to around 1.2 million dollars during the current Japanese financial year. The Japanese diplomat told reporters that Pakistani NGOs are likely to get their share of even higher amounts next year, starting from April. "The projected amount for the next year has to be higher," he said.

Nakagawa added that when he had joined the embassy in Islamabad two years ago total social sector disbursement through the NGOs was 0.6 million which is now more than double. "This trend is bound to continue," he assured.

Japanese ambassador while addressing the gathering urged upon the government to develop infrastructure to give a boost to the economy. He said deep seaport project at Gwadar was one of the potentially rich projects of the country and the government should do more to exhaust all its option available with regard to the project.

He said the Japanese government was ready to assist the Pakistani government for the development of the project. "But Pakistanis would have to do something more concrete to get started with the project," he added.

He said Gwadar could work as a gateway to the Central Asian market, opening doors of opportunities for Pakistan.

* Under the agreements the Japanese government will provide assistance to the following NGOs:

* Al-Sabah Welfare Trust will receive $33,696 for improvement of the Primary School at Sonikot Village, Gilgit.

* Learning Awareness and Motivation Programme (LAMP) will be provided $33,007 for improvement of the Primary School for Girls in Khyber Agency.

* Under Layari Community Development Project $24,260 would be provided for upgradation of the community welfare centre in Karachi which is offering vocational training facility for women and imparting education and cover basis health-care.

* Pakistan Voluntary Health and Nutrition Association (PAVHNA) will receive $34,465 for establishing MCH Centre in Larkana.

* Rural Initiatives in Sustainability and Empowerment (RISE) will be given $21,208 for upgradation of mobile dispensary services in Swabi.

* Pakistan Foundation Fighting Blindness would receive $30,502 for improvement of educational and vocational facilities for disabled women to become self-reliant.

* Karimabad Welfare Association will be given $75,311 for upgradation of Hasegawa Memorial School, Hunza.

* Anjuman Falah-o-Behbood will get $32,059 for improvement of primary education in Muzaffargarh.

* Sultanabad Social Welfare Development Organisation will be given $34,530 for safe drinking water supply project at Sultanabad (Phase-II). It will extend safe drinking water facility for the villagers of this remote mountainous village in the Northern Areas.

* Decent Welfare Society will get $35,163 for establishment of mobile dispensary services in Gujrat.

* Institute of Handloom and Home Textile Technology will be provided $36,728 for upgradation of training facilities for handloom and textile technology in weaving, spinning, dyeing, computer designing and printing on modern equipment/machines.

* Behbud Association, Karachi will be given $42,692 for improvement of TB control services, Karachi.