Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund's amount increased by 99pc in 2001-02: report
The Dawn, By Our Correspondent , 1/1/2003

ISLAMABAD, Dec 31: The Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) disbursed Rs1,188 million for the fiscal year 2001-02, which is 99 per cent more than the amount given for 2000-01 for the projects aimed at poverty alleviation through enterprise development, income generation etc., according to the second Annual Report of the PPAF released here on Tuesday.

Of this, the highest amount of Rs656 million was advanced for Credit and Development (CED), Rs322 million for Community Physical Infrastructure (CPI) and Rs210 million for Human & Institutional Development (HID).

The PPAF had become fully operational in early 2000 with the $90 million World Bank-IDA credit and an endowment of Rs500 million from the government of Pakistan for activities over a five-year period ending 2004.

Mr Hussain Dawood, the head of Dawood Group of Companies, is the fund's chairman while prominent experts in community development, banking etc., constitute its board of directors. Its operations are overseen by a General Body comprising reputed personalities from various civil society organisations.

According to the report, the total approvals by the PPAF amounted to Rs1,135 million during 2000-01, that was increased to Rs1,406 million in 2001-02. By the conclusion of this period, cumulative approvals amounted to Rs3,297 million, out of which Rs1,139 million was approved specifically with a view to mitigating impact in the worst affected drought areas of the country.

The PPAF endeavours to maintain a judicious balance between urban and rural areas well as emerging and mature organisations. Sensitive to environmental degradation is integral to the PPAF's work, the report stresses.

A significant aspect of the PPAF's performance is that it continued to maintain 100 per cent recovery rate in respect of its lending operations by CED.

Special consideration has been afforded to women, equitable distribution of funds and up-scaling of small and emerging organisations.

By the end of 2001-02, the PPAF funding has been disbursed through 21 partner organisations, of which eight were catering exclusively to women. More than 100,000 individuals availed PPAF financing, of whom 38 per cent are women.

CPI: This unit's focus was on community-identified need of drinking water. Schemes for supply of potable water accounted for 46 per cent of all projects. Other plans were for irrigation, link roads, bridges/culverts, causeways (30 per cent), flood protection and sanitation (24 per cent).

Apart from the conventional infrastructure projects, CPI unit took various innovative initiatives to provide solutions to specific problems, for example:

(1) A pilot project for drought mitigation and preparedness plan for Balochistan;

(2) hydel power projects in Northern Areas;

(3) sprinkler irrigation in the deserts of district Bhakar;

(4) use of windmills for pumping water in Tharparkar; and

(5) a pilot project in Islamabad Capital Territory to address all infrastructure, health, education and financial needs of a village.

HID: Realising that quality training both at the staff and community level was an essential part of the development process, HID unit increased its training activities from 85 in 2000-01 to 1,116 in 2001-02.

Besides six technical training exercises were conducted to develop vocational skills based on intermediate technology applications for borrower/beneficiaries within communities and groups.

A new initiative of the unit in 2001-02 was the decision to establish a Technology Diffusion Cell. Its objective was to introduce new and appropriate technology at the community level.

The PPAF also assisted in establishing an online community centre which has been linked with the Pakistan Carpet Manufacturers & Exporters Association in Karachi.

http://www.dawn.com/2003/01/01/nat13.htm