Pre-budget consultative sessions stressed

LAKKI MARWAT: Speakers at a seminar have stressed the need for ensuring people’s participation in budget-making process, saying that the quarters concerned tasked with formulation of annual budget do not bother to conduct pre-budget consultative sessions with public and their representatives.
The seminar was organised by Citizen Network for Budget Accountability (CNBA) with the support of partner organizations, including community development organisation (CDO) and center for peace and development initiative (CPDI) at town hall building in Lakki city on Thursday.
The CDO team leader Inayatullah Khan shed light on the aims and objectives of seminar and said that the government should provide people and media with opportunities to discuss advantages and disadvantages of budget. “To pass budget from district, tehsil, village and neighbourhood councils without letting local people to know about it is against norms and relevant rules,” he told the participants.
He said that the people’s participation in budget-making would prove helpful to make development programme successful. A PTI leader Dr Muhammad Iqbal said a budget should be prepared by taking input from the people.