jhelum main report text

NRSP’s work with District Governmen Jhelum

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NRSP’s work with District Government Jhelum2

Parts of this report may be reproduced for professional use,provided that such material is not printed or sold. We expect thatany material, which is used from this report, will be acknowledged.

Authored byMuhammad Saleem BaluchProgramme OfficerMonitoring, Evaluation & Research Section

Designed by:Nadeem Iqbal

AcknowledgementsThe author wishes to thank all those who contributed for this report. I am very thankfulto the staff of Field Unit Jhelum and other regional and head office staff. I express my deepestsense of gratitude to Malik Fateh Khan (Regional General Manager, Rawalpindi). I oweacknowledgements to Farooq Chishti (Senior Programme Officer, PITD) for his inestimable advice,guidance and valuable suggestions

Special thanks are due to Virginia Appell, Tahir Waqar and Azhar Hussain

Some relevant material from the documents produced at NRSP and RSPN has been reproduced withnecessary changes.


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Contents

Abbreviations

Foreword i

Introduction 1

The NRSP-District Government Jhelum Partnership process 2

The Development Schemes 6

Visitors to the Project 8

Village-wise Schemes 9

Assessments by Local Governments and Communities 15

Challenges, lessons learnt and way ahead 18

Annexes• Guidelines for NRSP approved by the Planning & Development Department (P&D),

Government of Punjab to implement Development Projects• Copy of MoU between NRSP and District Government Jhelum

AbbreviationsCCB Citizen Community BoardCO Community OrganisationDCO District Co-ordination OfficerMER Monitoring, Evaluation and ResearchMoU Memorandum of UnderstandingPITD Physical Infrastructure & Technology DevelopmentPPAF Pakistan Poverty Alleviation FundPRSP Punjab Rural Support ProgrammeRGM Regional General ManagerRP Regional ProfessionalRSP Rural Support ProgrammeUC Union CouncilVDO Village Development Organisation (VDO)


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Foreword

This Report documents the progress of the Jhelum Pilot Project implemented by NRSP inpartnership with the District Government Jhelum and Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF).Under the Project, NRSP implemented six sanitation schemes (street pavement, and constructionof drains and ponds) benefiting nearly 700 households. The total cost of these six schemes wasRs. 2.085 million. This cost was shared among the District Government (50%), the communities(20%) and PPAF (30%). NRSP paid all overhead costs and expenditures on training of Councillorsand the members of Village Development Organisation (VDOs).

NRSP’s partnership with the District Government of Jhelum was modelled on NRSP’s practice ofparticipatory development and is a prime example of the partnerships between a Rural SupportProgramme, District Governments and Donors. It was successful in many ways: ruralcommunities were enthusiastically involved, union Councillors were moulded into effectivedevelopment workers with apolitical attitude towards development activities, assisted the DistrictGovernment to increase its credibility with the people’s involvement in the development projectsand to develop a mechanism for forming CCBs, helped PPAF to benefit a large number of poorpeople by decreasing its cost share from 80% to 30%, thus enhancing the utilisation of its fundsand to set an example for its potential future role of working with District Governments throughits Partner Organisations. The Project has also demonstrated a successful model of pooling ofresources (50% from District Government Jhelum, 20% from the beneficiary communities and30% from the PPAF).

NRSP succeeded in playing a catalyst role in developing a partnership model between the DistrictGovernments, Donor and a Rural Support Programme for community-based development projectsby involving local political representatives. It succeeded in changing the traditional attitude ofpeople from thinking of street pavement and drain construction as the responsibility of the localgovernments to actively participate in the implementation of schemes, contribute to the costs andto take responsibility of properly operating and managing the scheme after completion.

Based on the success of this model, the model has been scaled up in another ten Union Councilsin District Jhelum. The model is also being replicated in other Districts of Pakistan. NRSP hassigned MoUs with District Governments of Chakwal, Rahim Yar Khan, and Khairpur (Sindh). It ishoped that it will eventually be initiated in all the RSPs working districts. There is a huge potentialfor joint efforts between District Governments, Union/Tehsil councils, the communities and NRSP.This model can also be extended in other sectors especially in education, health and agriculturesectors. However, the partnership potentials are not limited to these fields. The partnerships canbe extended to all areas/field that encourage grass-roots development and support tocommunities for harnessing their potential. RSPs if involved with District Governments can playan important role in strengthening the role of District Governments.

The lessons learnt from the Jhelum Project clearly indicate that: a) the involvement of thecommunities is essential for sustainable development and for the delivery of quality services, b)Union Council level Councillors are not traditional politicians. They can become dedicated andapolitical developmental workers through proper mobilisation and motivation and their capacitybuilding, c) there is a huge potential for joint efforts between District Governments, Union/Tehsilcouncils, the communities and NRSP.

NRSP appreciates the institutional and legal provisions under the devolution plan for encouragingactive public participation. This has presented NRSP with opportunities as well as challenges.Generally all RSPs, and especially NRSP, are in a position to offer governments, in particular theDistrict Governments, a large network of Community Organisations, as well as their expertise andexperiences in facilitating linkages between government bodies and people.

NRSP’s experience indicates that effective grassroots organisations such as CCBs can be createdonly through a process of capacity building of the communities. NRSP is willing to act as adevelopment agent through a partnership with the District Governments, Federal & Provincialgovernments, communities and donors. The District Government-NRSP partnerships will alsoensure an institutional arrangement that fosters true and genuine CCBs. This will also requirefurther increasing the coverage of NRSP if there is to be a critical mass of effective socialorganisation to enable ‘bottom-up’ planning and effective linkages.

NRSP will be gratified if the various levels of Government in Pakistan especially the DistrictGovernments, use the Community Organisations (COs) as a platform in the delivery of poverty-targeting services. NRSP expects that the District Governments will join hands with it in scaling-


up its programme coverage. NRSP also expects that the District Governments will encourage theNRSP-fostered COs’ as CCBs.

NRSP greatly appreciates the District Government Jhelum’s confidence in NRSP. Mr. Ch. FarrukhAltaf (District Nazim Jhelum), Mr. Saif Ullha Chattha (DCO Jhelum), Mr. Pir Aqeel Haider Shah(Naib District Nazim Jhelum), Dr. Zafar Nasrullah (EDO-Revenue, District Jhelum) and otherofficials of District Government Jhelum, and Mr. Ch. Wajahat Khawar Waseem (Nazim UC Bokan),Mr. Ch. Muhammad Sarfraz (Naib Nazim UC Bokan) and the Councillors of Union Council Bokanare acknowledged for their sincere efforts and involvement in the implementation of the Project.We also acknowledge the technical, moral and financial support of PPAF.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank NRSP teams led by Mr. Malik Fateh Khan (RegionalGeneral Manager), and the PITD section led by Mr. Farooq Chishti for the hard work they have putin to achieve the requisite targets. I want to give special thanks to the NRSP engineers, socialorganisers, other regional and field staff and the head office staff, since without their positiveresponse and active support, we would not have been able to achieve these results. The Field UnitJhelum Staff especially Mr. Akhlaq Hussain (social organiser) and Mr. Iftikhar Hussain (engineer)deserve due appreciation for the hard work and dedication that has enabled NRSP to set anexcellent example of co-operation between the RSPs and the District Governments.

Dr. Rashid BajwaChief Executive OfficerNational Rural Support ProgrammeIslamabad


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Introduction

In the year 2000 large-scale structural andfunctional changes were initiated inPakistan’s local Government system. Thepurpose was to devolve political powers andto decentralise administrative and financialauthority for more effective service deliveryand transparent decision making. The newsystem reorients the administrative systemto enable public participation in decision-making and resource allocation.

The devolved system operates throughrepresentatives elected to District, Tehsil andUnion Councils. It also requires the formationof village and neighbourhood Councils, andCitizen Community Boards (CCBs) forcommunity involvement. The elected Councilsare mandated to facilitate the formation ofCCBs, so as to (1) actively involve

community members in developmentinitiatives and (2) improve service deliverythrough voluntary, proactive and self-helpinitiatives. Twenty-five percent of the entireDistrict development budget is to bechannelled through these CCBs.

The most significant change through thissystem for the National Rural SupportProgrammes (NRSP) has been recognition onthe part of the Government that an‘organised citizenry’ forms an essential partof the present District Government at thegrassroots level in the form of CCBs.The CCBs have generated a nation-widedebate. The formation of CCBs is still achallenge yet not taken up seriously by thenew District/Local Governments. They arenot clear about the process and procedure ofinvolving CCBs in economic development

process and how these CCBs are to beplugged into present local governmentsystem. There is no clarity of institutionalmechanism for facilitating the link betweenthe local government institutions and CCBsand link of these CCBs with the village peoplethey represent.

NRSP considered the devolved localgovernment system as a challenge andopportunity. It welcomed the devolvedsystem and has been proactive in makingavailable to the government sector its vastexperience with its fostered communityorganisations (COs). NRSP’ approachcompliments the work of electedrepresentative institutions and does not seekto replace or challenge the work of politicalrepresentatives. It espouses the principles of

participatory development approach and seesits role as supplementing and complimentingthe District Governments.

NRSP management started a debate on thepossibilities of partnerships between NRSPand the District Governments set up underthe Devolution Plan. The discussions wereheld at various levels and with a number ofpersonalities including the Governmentofficials, the National Reconstruction Bureau,and the Nazims and Councillors of electedcouncils. The focal point of these discussionswas to:

a) facilitate and strengthen theDistrict/Local Government initiations(District/Tehsil/Union) in implementingcommunity-based development projects

NRSP experiences indicate that:• working with union Councillors who are also the members of the COs is the most effective way of

creating a much-needed change in working of the local government system. These COs members havedemonstrated their managerial and other skills acquired through training programmes arranged by theNRSP for the planning and implementation of the development projects. According to the trainedCouncillors, this would be a great contribution to them in enhancing their status within the Districtgovernments.

• genuine community participation cannot be achieved without organising people through broad-basedinstitutions at the village level, and secondly, that without having an institutional mechanism that caninterface between Community Organisations (COs) and government institutions for communitydevelopment, there is no ‘connection’ between villagers and Local Government.

Based on its experiences in community–based development, proven success of its methods and the scale ofits country wide coverage, NRSP is in a critical position to play key role in ensuring that genuine CCBs befostered. It can facilitate linkages between government line agencies and its fostered CommunityOrganisations (COs). These COs have immense potential for inclusion and complementation to thedevolution process at the grassroots. They are capable of taking the entire responsibility of implementingdevelopment schemes. NRSP can contribute greatly by enlisting the COs as CCBs and work on this hasbegun across Pakistan. NRSP can also offer its expertise in capacity building of the District governments.


and programmes in an efficient, effectiveand transparent manner through activecommunity involvement by establishingCitizen Community Boards (CCBs);

b) establish a model of partnership betweenthe local government institutions,donors, RSPs and the communities topool resources for poverty alleviation andcommunity development; and

c) develop an institutional mechanism thatcan interface between the COs and localgovernment institutions

These dialogues revealed into a first formalinteraction between NRSP and the DistrictGovernment Jhelum.

This Report describes this first formalinteraction between NRSP and the DistrictGovernment Jhelum. The partners in theinitiative were NRSP, the newly-electedDistrict Government of Jhelum and UnionCouncil of Bokan, six Village DevelopmentOrganisations (registered as CCBs), and thePakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF).

The physical outcome of the interaction wasthe implementation of physical infrastructureschemes - street pavement, sewer-drainconstruction and reservoir construction - insix villages. The institutional outcome was aprocess of effective interaction between thepartners that can be repeated and scaled upin future endeavours of this kind.

The partnership presented both opportunitiesand challenges to NRSP. On the one hand itgave NRSP the opportunity to draw on itswide experience in social mobilisation forparticipatory, community-level development,and to put this experience to work in a newpolitical environment. The challenge,however, was to re-structure the actionsseen as ‘political mindset of electedpoliticians and to ensure that every partner,from the Government to the VillageDevelopment Organisation (VDOs), wasappropriately involved in decision-makingand resource allocation.

The NRSP-District Government JhelumPartnership Process

Initial DialoguesIn May 2002 NRSP teams led by the ChiefExecutive Officer held several meetings withthe District Nazim and District Co-ordinationOfficer Jhelum to discuss the potential forcommunity development modelled on theNRSP participatory development approach.These meetings and discussions revealed toinitiate a pilot project in one of union councilof District Jhelum.

Identification of Union CouncilThe District Nazim discussed the potentialpartnership between NRSP and LocalGovernments in Jhelum with the members ofthe District Council and Nazims, Naib Nazimsand Councillors of Tehsil Councils and UnionCouncils. Nazim Union Council Bokan wasvery enthusiastic about the idea. Herequested District Nazim for the selection ofhis Union Council. He assured the DistrictNazim that he had full confidence of theelected councillors of his union council. Healso showed willingness for the utilisation ofthe union council development funds throughNRSP. Therefore, union council Bokan wasselected for the pilot project.

Meetings with Union CouncillorsNRSP’s Regional General Manager, SocialOrganisers and engineers met with the Union

Councillors. The meetings were held tointroduce the NRSP programme and theimplementation methodology to theCouncillors. The Councillors assured NRSPthat they would not influence thedevelopment process for individual vestedinterests. It was agreed that NRSP wouldimplement those schemes identified asurgent priorities and were beneficial to themaximum number of households.

Signing of Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU)These dialogues and discussions betweenNRSP, the District Government Jhelum andthe Union Council Bokan resulted into signingof a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)between NRSP and the District GovernmentJhelum (A copy of MoU is annexed).

It was agreed that the pilot project would beimplemented with an initial amount of Rs. 2million (Rs. 2,000,000). Other terms andconditions of MoU are as follows:

• NRSP will hold training cum orientationsessions with all the Councillors of thatparticular UC to aquatint them of theprogramme and its work methodology.


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• NRSP will do a benchmark (situationanalysis) of that UC in collaboration withthe Councillors to understand andidentify the small physical infrastructureneeds of the community.

• Dialogues would be held to organise thebeneficiaries into broad based communityorganisations with the help ofCouncillors.

• Project feasibility reports, technicalsurveys and project implementationwould be done by NRSP and thecommunity without involving anycontractors and according to theapproved criteria by the Government ofthe Punjab.

Financing• The District Government, Community

and NRSP (PPAF) shall put their shares inthe project according to the followingratio:

• District Government = 50%

• Community Contribution = 20%

• NRSP (PPAF) = 30%

• In addition, for the pilot UC, all costsrelating to social mobilisation, surveysand project implementation would beborne by the NRSP

• The District Government shall providethe total amount of funds based onactual surveys to NRSP up-front.

• Separate accounts would be kept for theproject.

Post Project Situation• NRSP shall continue to extend its Poverty

Alleviation Package to the organisedcommunities.

• Operation and maintenance of theprojects would be the responsibility ofthe community and the respectivecouncillors.

• The communities wherever feasible shallbe facilitated by the District Governmentto get themselves registered as CitizenCommunity Boards (CCBs).

Involvement of PPAFThe Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF)is providing funds to NRSP for theimplementation of hundreds of small-scalecommunity physical infrastructure projects.Costs are shared, with the communitiescontributing at least 20 percent of the totalproject cost. PPAF provides grants up to amaximum of 80% of scheme capital cost.

For this project, NRSP proposed PPAF to fund30% of the costs so as to benefit themaximum number of economically marginal

community members. PPAF agreed, and thefunding was secured.

Training of Union CouncillorsNRSP’s Institute of Rural Managementarranged a three-day training programme forthe Nazim, Naib Nazim and 18 Councillors ofUnion Council Bokan including 14 men and 4women Councillors. The Councillors weretrained in planning, designing andimplementation of development schemes.They were also trained in mobilising andmotivating the communities to participate inthe development activities.

Situation AnalysisNRSP did a Situation Analysis to establishbenchmark data in the Union Council. TheNazim, Naib Nazim and Union Councillorswere involved in the situation analysis. Thestudy covered the socio-economic situation,levels of education, existence and conditionof physical infrastructure and natural andhuman resources. Communities were askedto identify the most significant problems theyfaced. Detailed discussions were then held toidentify the small-scale physicalinfrastructure needs of the communities.

Formation of Village DevelopmentOrganizations (VDOs)NRSP team including social organisers andengineers and accompanied by theCouncillors contacted the communities. TheNRSP programme and the project wereintroduced to them. Discussions were heldwith the villagers on NRSP’s activities and thecriteria for VDO formation. A dialogue washeld in which the pilot project was explainedand the community’s questions wereanswered. Upon agreeing of the community,a Village Development Organisation (VDO)was formed in the village.

Identification of the schemesDuring the situation analysis, the villagersidentified and prioritised their problems andneeds for the community physicalinfrastructure. NRSP team discussed theseidentified and prioritised needs of thecommunity with the VDO and assessed thesocial, physical and technical viability ofthese schemes.

Selection of CPI SchemesThe NRSP team led by Regional GeneralManager reviewed and selected only thoseschemes to be implemented under the pilotproject that were:• identified as immediate priorities by the

VDO;

• agreed upon by all VDO members byconsensus;


• of benefit to the majority of thehouseholds of the community, especiallythe poorest and women and where atleast no household objects to thescheme;

• able to elicit active participation in termsof financial and human resources;

• within the capacity of the VDO toimplement, operate and maintain ontheir own;

• technically feasible and have no adverseenvironmental impacts;

• capable of demonstrating theeffectiveness of the participatoryapproach.

These criteria ensured that the schemes wereproperly implemented and that theiroperation and maintenance was ensured. Thecapacity of VDO members to execute andmaintain the scheme was enhanced throughtraining and demonstrations provided byNRSP.

Project PreparationWhen a scheme was selected to beimplemented, NRSP field staff prepared aProject Digest that included technicalsurveys, design, quantities, cost estimates,and a detailed feasibility proposal. The VDO,in its meeting, assigned responsibilities andduties and nominated its members for therequired activities and surveys.

Technical Surveys: The NRSP field engineerconducted the required surveys incollaboration and consultation with the VDOmembers. The VDO was also required toprovide land if required for the project.

Design and Estimates: After conductingsurveys, the field engineer with the guidanceof the Regional Engineer designed theproject: prepared a survey report, and thenecessary drawings, and calculated quantitiesand cost estimates. The regional engineerensured that the designs were simple andthat standard specifications were followed.The quantities and cost estimates were basedon the Composite Schedule Rates of 1998(CSR-98).

Project Digest: The regional engineer1

reviewed the survey reports, drawings,design and estimates and made necessarychanges. The regional engineer and the fieldengineer prepared a detailed project digest(feasibility proposal) covering the social,technical, environmental and

1 The regional engineer is involved at each step of theproject implementation. He supervises and monitorsthe engineering related all activities and guides thefield engineers wherever required.

financial/economic viability of the project.The Project Digest also had detailed costs ofthe scheme such as the item-wise cost of thematerials and labour, the total project cost,the contribution of the community, DistrictGovernment and PPAF. Annual operation andmaintenance costs of the project wereestimated, using standard specifications.Project implementation and managementplans were also part of the Project Digest.

After reviewing the Project Digest, theregional engineer submitted it to the HeadOffice engineer through Regional GeneralManager for approval.

Project ApprovalPITD section at the NRSP Head Officereviewed the Project Digest and technicallyapproved it and sent it to Regional GeneralManager for final approval. Regional GeneralManager reviewed the Project Digest andgave final approval. The copies of the ProjectDigest were forwarded to DistrictGovernment, Nazim Union Council, VDO andPPAF for information.

Signing of Terms of Partnership(ToP)After approval of the Project, the NRSP fieldstaff, including the engineer and the SocialOrganiser, attended the general bodymeeting of the VDO at which at least 75% ofthe members must be present. Theyexplained the details of the scheme includingthe project size, specifications, costcontributions of the VDO, DistrictGovernment and PPAF, the disbursementschedule, the implementation process andprocedures, the time required to completethe project and the estimated annualoperation and maintenance costs, as well asroles and responsibilities to be accomplishedat each stage by the community and NRSP.

Upon agreement of the VDO members, theTerms of Partnership (ToP) was signed withthe VDO. The ToP included all the terms andconditions agreed upon between NRSP andthe VDO. The ToP was signed by the twoauthorised signatories of NRSP and thepresident and the manager of the VDO. A listof all the members of the VDO present in thatmeeting including their names and signatureswas attached with the ToP. Both NRSP andthe VDO kept the copy of the ToP and thelist.

After signing the ToP, the VDO was asked toopen a separate bank account for thescheme. The account was operated by twosignatories nominated by the majority of themembers present in the meeting. The VDOwas then asked to constitute a projectcommittee from the VDO members forProject implementation and management.


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Project Committee: This committeeconsisting of at least two membersnominated/elected from the VDO isresponsible for the overall implementation ofthe project. It supervises the projectexecution, interacts/liaises with NRSP, followsinstructions from the NRSP engineer, assignsduties to the members, and keeps records ofthe funds received from NRSP and theexpenditures made on the purchase ofmaterial and payment of labour. TheCommittee also records the progress of thework and reports it to NRSP as and whenrequired. The committee is also responsiblefor drawing instalments from NRSP on thebasis of the physical progress of the project.The request for installments is submitted in aresolution signed by at least 75% of the VDOmembers.

The Project committee maintains the recordsand accounts of the project. In case of anydiscrepancy, the committee promptly informsthe VDO members in their general bodymeeting. It also informs NRSP, which thentakes the necessary actions. The committeeis also responsible for managing theoperation and maintenance of the projectafter its completion.

The VDO monitors the working of thecommittee. The progress of the project andother related issues are discussed in the VDOmeeting. The VDO may change the membersof the Project Committee, if the need arises.

Training and Capacity Building ofVDOsNRSP arranged a four-day trainingprogramme for the members of these VDOs.These VDO members were trained to managethe construction process, to keep records,procure materials, and after projectcompletion, to properly operate and maintaintheir projects. They were also trained tomanage the VDO’s affairs in a participatoryway. For example, they are trained toconduct regular meetings, to ensureattendance of at least 75% of members inthe meeting, to enhance the amount andutilisation of the VDO’s savings, to keepaccurate records of all the activities, to carryout needs analysis, to facilitate developmentplanning, to link the VDO with other relevantorganisations and to co-ordinate with NRSP.

Project Implementation andManagementNRSP and the VDO jointly managed theimplementation of the scheme. The VDO waswholly responsible for its execution under thesupervision of NRSP engineers. The VDO wasbound to complete the scheme within thetime specified in the ToP. NRSP and the VDOwere jointly responsible for the construction

and financial management of the scheme asdescribed below:

Construction Management: The ProjectCommittee was fully responsible for theexecution of the work. It maintained all therecords including instalments received fromNRSP, expenditure vouchers, paymentsreceipts, labour attendance sheets andcommunity contributions, during theexecution process. The NRSP engineer visitedthe scheme periodically, checked the qualityof the work and ensured adherence to thedesign specifications. The project committeetook technical guidance from the NRSPengineer who provided technical assistanceand elaborated design specifications of theproject to the committee throughout theconstruction period. Due care was given toprotecting the surrounding environmentduring construction of the project andnecessary measures were taken whererequired.

The NRSP staff remained in touch with thecommunities to provide assistancethroughout the construction period and evenafter completion of the project to ensureproper operation and maintenance.

Financial Management: The DistrictGovernment and the PPAF provided the totalagreed amounts to NRSP up front. NRSPopened a separate project account and fundsreceived from the District Government andPPAF were pooled in the same account.

NRSP disbursed the grant for execution of theproject to the VDO in instalments. Theamount released was according to the natureof the project and the actual work done onsite. The project committee forwarded arequest to NRSP for the release of theinstalment in the form of a resolution signedby at least 75% of the VDO members. NRSPstaff checked the expenditure vouchers, theprogress of the work, the quality as per thedesign specifications and the requiredcontribution of the VDO. The field engineerevaluated and verified the work done througha standard form for release of the instalment.The engineer forwarded his/her assessmentsto the regional engineer for sanctioning therelease of next instalment. The payment tothe VDO was made through a cross cheque.

Before releasing the final instalment, theNRSP engineer made sure that the work hadbeen completed satisfactorily in all regards.

Operation and MaintenanceThe VDO is responsible for the operation andmaintenance of the project. The VDO alsobears the operation and maintenance costs.The project committee is fully responsible forthe operation and maintenance of the project


for at least 3 years. The committee collectsand uses the maintenance funds as and whenrequired. However, NRSP provides thetechnical guidance and necessary training(free of charge to the VDO) to the Committeeand other VDO members for the properoperation and maintenance of the project.

Monitoring of the SchemesIn addition to the visits of officials of DistrictGovernment, governmentdepartments/ministries, NGOs, local people,Nazims/Councillors, DCO, and members ofnational and international organisations aswell as PPAF officials, NRSP follows its ownwell-defined monitoring system. Thefollowing are the salient features of NRSP’smonitoring system specific to the schemesimplemented under this pilot project:

• The day to day progress of the schemewas monitored by the beneficiaries of thescheme and was reviewed regularly inthe meetings of the VDO. The NRSP fieldstaff also monitored the day to dayactivities of the scheme and maintained aclose liaison with the communitymembers in its execution.

• The Nazim, Naib Nazim and theCouncillors of the union council regularlyvisited the schemes and reviewed theprogress.

• The schemes were reviewed regularly inthe union council meetings. The DistrictNazim and DCO were regularly andpromptly informed about the schemeposition and discussions in the unioncouncil meeting about the schemes.

• The PPAF officials regularly visited theschemes.

• Monthly Progress Reports (MPR) andQuarterly Progress Reports (QPR) wereproduced at the field unit level and

forwarded to the regional and headoffices of NRSP.

• The Monitoring, Evaluation and Research(MER) section at head office and regionaloffice levels continuously monitored thefield activities and carried out impact andcost-benefit studies etc.

• The MER section in particular and othersections occasionally followed up on theeffects of activities undertaken by NRSPin Jhelum in partnership with DistrictGovernment.

• The SOs and field engineers wererequired to maintain a diary in whichthey recorded the days’ activities andarising issues. These diaries werereviewed by the incharges, managers,MER professionals and other NRSP staff.

• The regional and head offices staff of allsectors also monitored the physicalinfrastructure schemes during their fieldvisit.

• NRSP programme activities, specially theprogress of physical infrastructureprojects in Jhelum were reviewed inweekly staff meetings at regional andhead office levels. The issues werediscussed and necessary actions weretaken to resolve the issues.

• Programme Planning Meetings (PPMs)are held weekly at head office involvingprogramme managers; quarterly PPMsare held at the head office involving theentire NRSP management and monthlymeetings at the regional level involvingall regional professionals. Thesemeetings review the progress achievedand formulate plans.

• Semi-annual planning meetings are heldat the head office: all NRSP managementand senior professionals participate.

The Development Schemes

The development schemes under this JhelumPilot Project were initiated in June 2002 withan initial amount of Rs. 2 million to be sharedbetween the District Government (50%), thecommunities (20%) and the PPAF (30%).

NRSP’s team including engineers and socialorganisers did the required surveys andprepared cost estimates. The total estimatedcost of the six projects came to beRs.2,209,128. The increased estimated costwas discussed with the District Governmentand the communities who agreed to providethe exceeding amount according to theagreed ratio (District Government: 50%;

Community Contribution: 20% and PPAFshare: 30%). Nearly 700 householdsresiding in six villages in Union Council Bokanwere benefited from these six schemes.

NRSP implemented six infrastructureschemes in villages: Jhakkar, Mirajpur Beli,Bhundanh Gakhran, Bhundanh Jattan, SheikhQurashian and Kota Sawarian. All theseschemes were of street pavement,construction of drains and ponds. Scheme-wise cost details are annexed.

The details of costs incurred on these sixprojects are as follows:


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Details of costs (Rs)CostsTotal District

Governmentshare

Communitycontribution

PPAF share

Costs of six schemes 2,209,128 1,104,564 441,826 662,738Average cost per scheme 368,188 184,094 73,638 110,456Av. cost per Beneficiary Household 3,220 1,610 644 966

Nazim and Councillors TrainingNRSP always tries and arranges varioustraining programmes to build the capacity ofits development partners. Sinceestablishment of new District GovernmentSystem, NRSP has trained 132 localrepresentatives including Nazims, NaibNazims and Councillors of District, Tehsil andUnion Council levels from a number of

Districts of Pakistan. Of these 132 electedrepresentatives, 57 were men and 75 werewomen. NRSP has also arranged more than100 Orientation Workshops toDistrict/Tehsil/Union Council Nazims andCouncillors introducing them NRSPprogramme and planning and implementationof development projects.

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Visitors to the Project

The Project has played an importantdemonstrative role of partnership betweenDistrict/Tehsil/Union Council, RSPs and thedonor agency. Many personalities from local,national and international organisations/agencies including a) officials fromgovernment departments; b) Nazims, NaibNazims, and Councillors ofDistrict/Tehsil/Union Council from otherdistricts of the country; c) officials fromvarious donor/funding agencies; and d)many researchers/ consultants visited theProject activities.

These visitors met with District NazimJhelum, DCO Jhelum, Naib Nazim,Councillors and Villagers from Union CouncilBokan and discussed the Project regardinglegal and institutional arrangements for theProject, meeting procedural requirements,maintaining and controlling quality

sc

and checking material quality, registration ofVDOs as CCBs and apolitical attitude ofelected representatives towards communitydevelopment initiatives.

The District Nazim and DCO Jhelum clarifiedthem on these issues. They also clarified thevisitors about the future role of VDOs asCCBs. The Nazim Union Council Bokan andthe members of the VDOs explained theissues regarding maintaining transparencyand quality in the Project implementationand how NRSP helped in communitymobilisation and involvement in Projectimplementation and developing apoliticalattitude of elected representatives byturning them into a true and genuinecommunity development worker.

I the DCO Karak along with District NazimHangu and Karak availed the opportunityof visiting the Community DevelopmentScheme of this village under the auspiceof NRSP. I give my pleasure to note thatthe VDO of this village has verysuccessfully implemented a scheme forcommunity uplift. We all the visitingguests are really impressed about thededication of the VDO in implementing

It has been a pleasure to visit this UnionCouncil of District Jhelum and to witnessthe good work being done by NRSP withthe participation of the local populace.We definitely would want to replicate theprogramme in our District of Kohat.

Malik Asad - District Nazim Kohat

RSP’s work with District Government Jhelum

tandards, communities involvement andontribution, and procedures for procuring

the scheme with minimal expenses –making the scheme cost effective.

Khalid Khan Baluch -DCO Karak


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Village Jhakkar

Scheme Type = Street pavement and construction of sewer drainsand pond

Date of initiation = 14-07-2002Date of completion = 25-12-2002Beneficiary Households = 280Total Cost = Rs. 594,398District Government share = Rs. 297,199Community contribution = Rs. 118,880PPAF share (Rs.) = RS. 178, 319

Pictures showing conditions before and after the scheme implementation in the village

1- Before 1- After

2- Before 2- After

3- Before 3- After


Village Mirajpur Belli

Scheme Type = Street pavement and construction of sewer drainsDate of initiation = 02-07-2002Date of completion = 31-10-2002Beneficiary Households = 100Total Cost = Rs. 446,119District Government share = Rs. 223,060Community contribution = Rs. 89,224PPAF share (Rs.) = RS. 133,836


1- Before 1- After

2- Before 2- After

3- Before 3- After


17

Village Bhundanh Gakhran

Scheme Type = Street pavement and construction of sewer drains

Date of initiation = 02-07-2002Date of completion = 29-09-2002Beneficiary Households = 57Total Cost = Rs. 102,731District Government share = Rs. 51,366Community contribution = Rs. 20,546PPAF share (Rs.) = RS. 30,819


1- Before1- After

2- Before 2- After

3- Before 3- After


Village Bhundanh Jattan




1- Before 1- After

2- Before 2- After

3- Before 3- After


19

Village Sheikh Qureshian




1- Before 1- After

2- Before 2- After

3- Before 3- After


Village Kota Sawarian

Scheme Type = Street pavement and construction of sewer drainsDate of initiation = 02-07-2002Date of completion = 05-11-2002Beneficiary Households = 45Total Cost = Rs. 233,841District Government share = Rs. 116,921Community contribution = Rs. 46,768PPAF share (Rs.) = RS. 70,152


1- Before1- After

2- Before 2- After

3- Before 3- After

NRSP’s

Assessments by Local Governments &Communities

Following are the statements of District Nazims and DCO of District Jhelum and the Nazim, NaibNazim, Councillors and members of VDOs of Union Council Bokan.

Chaudhry Farrukh Altaf, DistrictNazim JhelumOur interaction with NRSP started in April2002. I appreciate Dr. Rashid Bajwa- theChief Executive Officer NRSP, for his efforts,interests and dedications for initiating thispilot project. I also appreciate Nazim, NaibNazim and the councillors of Union CouncilBokan for their enthusiastic involvement inproject success. I must acknowledgeprofessionalism and dedication of NRSPJhelum staff for their efforts in making thepilot project successful.

The people in District Jhelum especially ofUnion Council Bokan are feeling benefits ofthis approach. The achievement of thisproject is the faith and confidence of peoplein this system. This was because, not onlythe work quality and quantity was good, butalso important thing was the involvement ofpeople. The people from other villages aredemanding now for initiation of NRSPactivities in those villages. They are sayingthat they are willing to undertakedevelopment initiatives through NRSPsystem and they are ready to contribute inthe costs. Overall, the partnership betweenDistrict Government, NRSP and thecommunities has been appreciated in thegeneral public of District Jhelum. Thisproject has demonstrated of buildingpeople’s faith and confidence ondevelopment institutions.

For example, in village Bella located on theother side of Rive Jhelum, no developmentwork has been done in the last 30 years.Different Governments awardeddevelopment works to contractors but nocontractor was ready to work in that village.This was due to difficulty of transportation ofconstruction material. This was the firsttime, development work was done in thevillage. Now people of Bella village feel thatthey are the part of District Jhelum and theyare equally important for DistrictGovernment Jhelum. That is why, peopleare demanding for starting developmentactivities in their village. The approach hasbuild credibility and confidence among thepeople. This has happened only when wehave practically set an example. If peoplehave faith and confidence on the system,they can participate and contribute in thecosts.

I think we can enhance our partnership withNRSP in other sectors especially inagriculture, education and health sectors.For poverty alleviation, we need NRSP’s

support formobilisingandmotivatingthe people toalleviatepoverty.

Mr. SaifUllahChattha,DistrictCo-ordination OThe working exshort period waestablishment owere facing a punion council leactive and communities in t

We started a pilCouncil Bokan wNaib Nazim anCouncil. The su

this year. The would provide 8these union counof the project inmuch more. Likehope and believten union counmodel would be of District Jhelum

We succeeded ithrough this pcapacity of thesetting up of CClacks expertise CCBs. A catalystmobilisation) wGovernment. NRcatalyst. This formation of CCB

Mr. Saif Ullah ChaDistrict Co-ordinatioJhelum

Chaudhry Farrukh Altaf,District Nazim Jhelum

work with District Governmen Jhelum

21

fficer Jhelumperience with NRSP in a verys very successful. After thef District Government, weroblem of spending funds atvel through mobilising, andeffective involvement ofhe development process.

ot project with NRSP in Unionith the consultation of Nazim,d Councillors of this Unionccess demonstrated in this

pilot project hasgenerated

demand fromother unioncouncils forinitiating NRSP’sactivities. It hasbeen agreed to

scale-uppartnership withNRSP in anotherten unioncouncils during

District Government Jhelum0% of the scheme costs incils. The demonstration effect

the ten union councils will be the success of pilot project, Ie that the projects in anothercils would be successful andreplicated in all union councils.

n doing a very important jobroject that was beyond the District Government, i.e.,Bs. The District Government

required for the formation of required for this (communityas missing in the DistrictSP has played the role of this

project has helped in thes and spending of unspent 25

ttha,n Officer

percent funds that are required to be spentthrough CCBs.

Once communities are organised into CCBs,there are many activities of District andProvincial Governments that can beexecuted through these CCBs andcommunities can actively participate in theseactivities. In this way, we would be able totap the human, physical and financialresources of the communities. Thecommunities can do effective monitoring.This would be the best partnership modelamong District Government, NRSP and thecommunities.

In future, we want to work with NRSP inmany sectors especially in health, education,agriculture and e-governance. Thepartnership with NRSP can be extended inincome generating activities through micro-credit. It is hoped that future of partnershipamong District Government Jhelum, NRSPand the communities would be bright andsuccessful.

Ch. Wajahat Waseen, NazimUnion CouncilPreviously, the village level developmentworks were done as per will of the localpoliticians/representatives and the work wasdone to benefit specific political group. Thework was done in selected streets to benefitspecific voters. Even some houses in thesame streets could not benefit from thedevelopment work. This has not happened inthis project. All people irrespective of theirpolitical affiliation were involved in the work.This has changed the traditional politicalapproach and resulted in significant positivechange in moral attitudes of both thecouncillors and the people.

The NRSP staff inJhelum isappreciated fortheir skills tomobilise the

communities.Previously, peopledid not believe inthe transparencyof the system.This time, the

Under this project, VDO was formed in eachvillage. The VDO opened and operated a bankaccount for the scheme activities, people wereinvolved at each step and stage. Every bodyhad a feeling of ownership of the scheme.

The involvement of people ensured highquality and more quantity of work. Theregular visits of NRSP engineers and staff andtheir guidance also helped the members of theVDOs to maintain the quality and quantity ofwork. I think, this project was a mainachievement in terms of quality and quanityof work as well as the involvement of people.

NRSP arranged a three-day workshop fortraining of union councillors. The trainingcontents and material was very good andbeneficial to councillors. This training helpedcouncillors in identifying, planning,implementing and monitoring of the smallscale village level development initiatives.

In terms of project benefits to people, I thinkwith their involvement in development works,people feel their importance and value.Previously, no body asked them for theirinvolvement in development work. They reallydid not exactly know what developmentactivities are being done in their village. Thistime, NRSP staff made them clear about eachstep and mobilised them for their involvementin the work and own the work quality as wellas quantity.

For the future use of VDOs, I would requestNRSP to arrange various training activities tobuild the capacity of these VDOs to strengthentheir future role in various developmentalactivities. The role of VDOs should not beclosed with the completion of the project.Through these VDOs, there has beenawareness and empowerment in the people toundertake development activities. The VDOscan be involved in many types of developmentinitiatives especially in improving theeducation and health sectors. This project hasbrought a change in the attitude andunderstanding of the people.

I would like to give an example of MirajpurBelli located on other side of the River Jhelum.Government awarded twice the developmentwork of this village to contractors. It is very

Ch. Wajahat Waseen,Nazim Union Council


people were astonished to see working ofNRSP staff in a transparent way. The peoplecould not imagine such level of staff. Theyhad never dealt with such staff.

Through this project, we made better use offunds for high quality and more quantitywork. But for us, the important aspect andachievement of this project is thecommunity involvement. This has created asense of ownership among the villagers.They owned the work in their streets.Previously, the community was neverinvolved in the village level projects.

difficult to bring construction material to thevillage. The transportation costs are veryhigh. The contractors were unable to dodevelopment work in the village andultimately they ignored to do the work. Thistime, we were able to do the same work whichthe contractors were unable to do, with NRSPsupport through the formation of a VDO in thevillage.

In the beginning, we had fear about people’sinvolvement and their 20 percent contributionin the capital costs of the schemes. Thisproject has changed our perception. It hasdemonstrated that if properly mobilised, thepeople are willing for their involvement and

contribution in the costs. The people fromother villages are demanding for this type ofdevelopment activities. They are willing: tobe involved in the work, to contribute in thecosts and to do labour work.

I think this is the main achievement of thisproject. This was not possible throughtraditional ways or systems. The twenty-percent contribution was not a big issue forgovernment, the issue was how to involvepeople. I suggest, NRSP programme shouldbe scaled up in all areas of Pakistan.

Chaudhry Muhammad Sarfraz,Naib Nazim Union Council BokranOur working experience with NRSP is anexcellent example of developing costeffective and best quality physicalinfrastructure. People are appreciating NSRPsystem for this remarkable quality andquantity of work.

Being electedrepresentatives, we hadpromised our people toaddress their issues.The main issues atvillage level alwayshave been thepavement of streetsand construction ofdrains. We solved ourproblems through thisproject. It has helpedus to have people’sconfidence andenhanced our positionin the public.

I appreciate NRSP staff’s commitment and honepeople are astonished to sand sacrificing staff who night to complete the projperiod of three months.

The people have now faithNRSP’s work. They could organisation whose deveare very transparent andhave never seen an organwhose staff does not t(illegal money earning). Thappreciating NRSP. I wenhance NRSP’s role in othagriculture, health and edis to scale-up NRSP’s role t

Mr. Mahboob Khan, UCouncillorI belong to opposite politicUnion Council. But I appmobilising and trainindevelopment work with aWe are undertaking the and there has been no

political differences, which I think, is the mainachievement of this project.

The NRSP staff attended our UC meeting andintroduced their programme and this project.A VDO was formed in my village. The VDOwas responsible for managing the constructionwork under the supervision of NRSP staff. Wehave seen many development projects butworking experience with NRSP was different interms of people’s involvement, quality andquantity of work. We could not imagine suchquality work with this small amount. Thisproject has demonstrated how we can saveourselves from the low standards contractors’work. People are happy. The contractors workis always low quality due to number of factors.All villagers were involved in the work. Thework quality was remarkable. I would requestNRSP to scale-up its programme activities inour union council in other sectors such asagriculture, education and health.

VDO members and VillagersThe physical infrastructure schemes wereimplemented in six villages: Jhakkar, MirajpurBeli, Bhundanh Gakhran, Bhundanh Jattan,Sheikh Qurashian and Kota Sawarian. NRSParranged training programmes for themembers of Village DevelopmentOrganisations (VDOs). During trainingprogramme, they expressed the achievementsof Jhelum Pilot Project. Following are thecomments of the members of VDOs:

• “It was not possible for a contractor toconstruct the streets with this amount. Thepeople from many other villages arecontacting us asking for information regardingVDO formation and the role of NRSP

Chaudhry M.Sarfraz, Naib Nazim UnionCouncil Bokran


23

sty to work. Theee such dedicatedworked day and

ect within a short

and confidence innot imagine suchlopment activities open to all. Weisation like NRSPakes commissione people are nowould request toer sectors such asucation. The needhese VDOs.

nion

al group of Nazimreciate NRSP forg us to dopolitical manner.work collectively appearance of

• Our village people could not imagine thatwork could be done in such a way.Previously, the contractor was doing theseworks with government funding. Peoplewere not doing anything on self-helpbasis. We had not to contribute in thecosts. NRSP mobilised and motivated us.We had no political objective. The peopletried hard. Now the people have realisedthe benefits of a VDO.

• The quality of construction work was notpossible through the contractor's work.Our VDO purchased good quality materialand tried to make a better road. Thegovernment should involve the villagepeople in such small village level works.The contractors should not be involved insuch village level activities. The VDO isnecessary to execute the work withdiscipline.”

• The men, women and children from thisvillage were used to walk through thewaste water standing on the Kachchapath. We thank God that we were able toconstruct the streets with NRSP support


and District Government Grant. Wecontributed to the costs. Now our VDO isable to execute such other projects. Ifgovernment really wants to makePakistan prosperous, then it shouldinvolve the villagers through their VDOsin such village level activities. Thecontractor system is costly and workdone through contractors is low quality.”

• The person who had not seen the villagemay not understand the achievement. Acontractor could not construct the samestreets with this small money and thestreets may not have lasted more than ayear.

• Our VDO was involved in all theconstruction work and used a betterquality material. The people from othervillages come to see the village. Theywant to form community organisations.NRSP has shown us the right path ofdevelopment.

• Now the people are happy. The peoplefeel confident and can execute suchsimilar development projects. We praythat the government, instead of wastingmoney through contractors work, shouldinvolve the people in village level

developmental activities. This will savemoney.”

• The contractor can not produce suchquality work, as he has to distributemoney to many persons. The governmentshould involve local villagers throughVDOs for development works in villagesand chaks.”

• No surface drains existed in the village.Some houses had latrines, a few withseptic tank. The human and animalexcreta were used to float in the streets.Waterborne diseases particularly inchildren were common. NRSP approachedthe village and formed a VDO. We werefacing difficulties even in going mosquesto say prayers due to wastewater in thestreets. This could happen only due to theVDO.

• We are very happy. We took the benefits.NRSP approached us and organised usinto VDO. We would be registered as aCitizen Community Boards (CCB). Thepeople of nearby villages are contactingus asking about the formation of theCommunity Organisation and the role ofNRSP.

Challenges, lessons learnt and the way ahead

ChallengesNRSP encountered a number of challenges inimplementing this project. It successfully metthese challenges through a) its committedstaff; b) the eagerness of the communities toimplement the projects; c) the guidance,assistance and involvement of the DistrictGovernment Nazim, District Co-OrdinationOfficer, and the enthusiastic involvement ofNazim, Naib Nazim, Councillors and thecommunities of the Union Council Bokan.

The District Government is gratefullyacknowledged for providing financial andmoral support and involving NRSP in theimplementation of community-baseddevelopment projects. The DistrictGovernment and the Nazim, Naib Nazim andthe Councillors of Union Council Bokan areacknowledged for their sincere efforts anddeep involvement in the implementation ofthe Pilot Project. NRSP thanks the VDOs andother people from these villages for theirdedicated efforts. NRSP also appreciatesPPAF for supporting this pilot project.

The main challenges NRSP faced and thelessons learnt during the implementation ofthe Jhelum Pilot Project were:

Union Councillors attitude: NRSPprogramme is targeted towards povertyalleviation and empowerment of the poor.When the Pilot Project began some NRSPstaff were worried that NRSP was becominginvolved in political activities. With guidancefrom the NRSP management, the staff wasable to undertake the project in an apoliticalmanner benefiting the majority of thehouseholds irrespective of their politicalalliance.

Community attitude: Traditionallygovernments are supposed to bear all thecosts of development activities. Thecommunity is excluded from planning andimplementation and does not contributedirectly to the costs. In other words, thecommunity is a relatively passive ‘recipient’of Government interventions. In this Project,however, the NRSP staff mobilised andmotivated the communities, ensuring theyhad a clear understanding of the Project,their own roles and responsibilities, andthose of NRSP, the District Government andUnion Council.

In this Project, NRSP succeeded in changingthe traditional attitude of people from


25

thinking of street pavement and drainconstruction as the responsibility of the localgovernments. Now they actively participatein the implementation of schemes, contributeto the costs and properly operate andmanage the scheme after completion. Nowthere is sense of community ownership. It isnow clear to all concerned that theinvolvement in and ownership by thecommunities are essential ingredients forsustainable development and the delivery ofquality services.

Transparency: Based on the previousexperiences with contractors’ work, thecommunities had doubts about thetransparency of the implementation, inparticular doubts about the quality of work.The NRSP staff remained in close contactwith the communities, made sure theyunderstood every aspect of the scheme andtried to involve every body from the village inthe process. The NRSP staff’s attitude andways of working meant that all thedocuments were available to everyone. Theyalso ensured that everyone involved clearlyunderstood the procedures and approaches,especially in the procurement of materials.This clearly demonstrated that projects canbe implemented transparently and createdtrust in NRSP.

Complexity of the Partnership:NRSP was implementing the physicalinfrastructure schemes either withGovernment funding (e.g. schemesimplemented through NRSP under theKhushhal Pakistan Programme) or with donorfunding (e.g. PPAF, UNDP, UNICEF etc.).NRSP staff was managing the records of asingle financing agency and reporting to asingle agency. This agency was usuallymonitoring the implementation of theschemes. However, in case of this PilotProject, the nature of partnership was morecomplex: on one side were the DistrictGovernment, and the Tehsil and UnionCouncils and on the other was PPAF. Manycomplications emerged during the schemeimplementation. The NRSP staff, with theguidance of management, handled theemerging problems as they arose.

Lessons LearntThis Project was modelled on NRSP’s practiceof participatory development. It has set anexcellent example of working partnershipbetween the District Governments set upunder Devolution Plan, the Donors and theRural Support Programmes. It was successfulin many ways: rural communities wereenthusiastically involved showing thatorganised villagers are able to participate as

the subjects and not as the objects of thedevelopment process, union Councillors weremoulded into effective development workerswith apolitical attitude towards developmentactivities, assisted the District Government toincrease its credibility with the people bydoubling its development funds and bysupporting the introduction of NRSP in thevillages, which has a good reputation withthe people and to develop a mechanism forforming and establishing CCBs, helped PPAFto benefit a large number of poor people bydecreasing its cost share from 80% to 30%,thus enhancing the utilisation of its funds.PPAF is in an advantageous position todeliver its component-specific activities in ashort time and to set an example for itspotential future role of working with DistrictGovernments through its PartnerOrganisations. NRSP succeeded in playing acatalyst role in developing a partnershipmodel between the District Governments,Donor and a Rural Support Programme forcommunity-based development projects byinvolving local political representatives.

According to the village people and the localelected representatives, the mainachievement of Jhelum Project is building offaith and confidence of people in thetransparency and openness of the NRSP’ssystem/approach.

The lessons learnt from this project clearlyindicate that the involvement of communitiesis essential for sustainable development andfor the delivery of quality services. TheDistrict Government Jhelum is proud intalking the achievements of this project forfulfilling its mandate in: a) development ofphysical infrastructure, and b) developing amechanism for forming and establishingCCBs. The Nazim, Naib Nazim, Councillorsand villagers are satisfied with theconstruction of high quality and morequantity infrastructure schemes in theirvillages. NRSP benefited by enhancing itsexperience of working with partners ofdifferent natures for communitydevelopment.

This pilot project experience clearly indicatesthat there is a huge potential for Partnershipsbetween District Governments and NRSP foruplift of both rural and urban communities.Through these partnerships, the DistrictGovernments/Tehsil MunicipalAdministrations/Union Councils would be inbetter position to fulfil their legal and moralresponsibilities for facilitating the activecommunity participation through theformation of Citizen Community Boards(CCBs).


Lessons learnt from NRSP’s work with District

Government Jhelum in partnership with thecommunities and PPAF are as follows:

Moulding Union Councillors into TrueDevelopment Worker: The Pilot Projectexperience indicates that the Union Councilmembers are not “traditional” politicians.They demonstrated the willingness to serveobjectively and without prejudice as ‘partnersin participatory development’. They weremotivated and mobilised to set aside‘political’ considerations. Many Councillorsworked co-operatively with their politicalopponents. This co-operative attitude helpedcreate social cohesion in the participatingcommunities. In the long term this attitudewill play a constructive role in thedevelopment of these villages.

Pooling of Resources: The initiativedemonstrated the success of pooling ofresources: 50% from District Government,20% from beneficiary community and 30%from PPAF. The District Government Jhelumwas able to save 50 percent of the capital

costs plus overheads to implement the

schemes. In order words, the DistrictGovernment was able to increase theirdevelopment programmes by more than100% in partnership with NRSP and thePPAF. It helped PPAF to enhance theutilisation of its funds by lowering itscontribution in the scheme costs from 80% to30%.

Community Participation: Thesuccess of the Pilot Project in terms of cost-effectiveness, quality, operation andmaintenance arrangements, as well as theenthusiastic involvement of the communities,clearly indicate that organised villagers areable to participate as the “subjects” and notas the “objects” of the development process,given the appropriate opportunity.

Confidence Building of electedrepresentatives: The enthusiasticsatisfaction of the elected representativesthrough this project in terms of creation oftheir credibility and appreciation in the

NRSP fostered COsNRSP mobilizes the poor to organize themselves on a common platform called community organization(CO). It is the initial step of a process by which the people begin a journey towards economic and socialempowerment. At CO forum, they can discuss their problems and share their ideas and solutions. Ideally,once they start acting as self-help organized group they will also be able to deal with many other constraints.

The heart and soul of the social mobilization approach followed by NRSP is the formation of effective, strongand viable development oriented organizations. Once a CO is formed, the people do the rest, assisted byNRSP at every level, thorough credit, technical assistance or linkages, but the driving force remains the willof the people. This is called “harnessing the peoples’ potential.”

NRSP provides training to the CO members/president/manager to build their capacity in managing the COs’affairs in a participatory way. They are trained to manage regular CO meetings, to ensure 75% attendancelevel, to enhance savings and its utilization, to keep a proper record of all activities, to carry out a needsanalysis, to facilitate development planning, to link COs with other organizations/agencies and to co-ordinatebetween the CO and NRSP for all interventions. Therefore, NRSP fostered COs are able to:• hold regular meetings independent of NRSP staff, discuss the development constraints

faced by their community, and finds ways to remove these constraints;

• enhance their CO’s saving level and its utilisation;

• keep accurate records of all activities;

• receive skill training and monitor their COs’ activities;

• identify and prioritise their own needs and finds ways to meet these needs on their own;

• execute village level physical infrastructure and other projects and to manage operationand maintenance of these projects after completion;

• contact government departments and other organisations/agencies to obtain necessaryinputs;

• to articulate their development needs more efficiently while interacting with NRSP,Government, or other private and public sector agencies. They are also able to manageand implement development projects more efficiently, in which community participation isinvolved. Examples are various types of physical infrastructure projects;

• select their social activists carefully and exercise their right to change the manager andpresident if the group considers their behaviour and commitments below expectedstandards; and

• to resolve their social conflicts.

NRSP’s COs have demonstrated the abilities and capabilities beyond what is required for a CCBand have capacities to undertake development initiatives. The valuable role of these COs hasbeen recognised by many government, private and donor agencies.


27

general public made them willing to enhancetheir share from 50% to 80% in the newunion councils.

Capacity Enhancement of theVDOs: It was often observed that there wasa positive change in the social cohesion ofthe community. They arranged frequent VDOmeetings, discussed the issues and foundmeans of resolving problems. Theimplementation of the schemes enhanced thesocial maturity of the VDOs. This would alsohelp in future in implementing otherinterventions such as micro credit andincome generating activities as well asimproving the record keeping at VDO level.

NRSP Staff Confidence and CapacityBuilding: The Government-civil societypartnership approach to implementationbegan an intensive process of interactionwith the various line departments, Nazims,Naib Nazims and Councillors. The success ofthe schemes helped to build NRSP staffconfidence. Formerly, they were somewhatreluctant to expose themselves to interactwith the political representatives. Now theyare more confident of their achievements andperformance. Moreover, staff capacity andperformance have increased, as has themagnitude of their activities. They are doingmore work with better co-ordination andbetter results.

The way aheadThis Project is a prime example ofpartnerships among the District Government,NRSP and donor agencies for communitydevelopment activities. Based on the successof this model, the model has been scaled upin another ten Union Councils in DistrictJhelum. In these union councils, the DistrictGovernment Jhelum would bear 80% of thecosts instead of 50%. The model is also beingreplicated in other Districts of Pakistan. NRSPhas signed MoUs with District Governmentsof Chakwal, Rahim Yar Khan, and Khairpur(Sindh). It is hoped that it will eventually beinitiated in all the RSPs working districts.There is a huge potential for joint effortsbetween District Governments, Union/Tehsilcouncils, the communities and NRSP.

The present model can also be extended inother sectors especially in education, healthand agriculture sectors. However, thepartnership potentials are not limited tothese fields. The partnerships can beextended to all areas/field that encouragegrass-roots development and support tocommunities for harnessing their potential.RSPs if involved with District Governmentscan play an important role in strengtheningthe role of District Governments.

NRSP appreciates the institutional and legalprovisions under the devolution plan forencouraging and recognition that an‘organized citizenry’ forms an essential part

of the devolution process at the grassrootslevel in the form of Citizens’ CommunityBoards or CCBs.

The main concern is that these CCBs may notbe truly representative bodies and may,therefore, reinforce the main negativeingredient of elite capture, which our politicalsystems suffer from. Therefore it is importantthat an institutional arrangement be set upwhich fosters true and genuine CCBs. Someof the tasks to be performed by such aninstitutional arrangement are:

a) Social mobilisation to ensure that CCBsare formed as a result of communitywillingness and interest and that theyfunction as participatory organisations.

b) Capacity building of the CCBs includingmanagerial and skills enhancementtraining.

c) Monitoring the work and progress ofCCBs.

d) Promoting income generating activities inorder to enable CCBs to contribute todevelopment programmes.

The RSPs strongly believe that withoutcreating a network of village-leveldevelopment organisations, there will alwaysbe a vacuum between people and LocalGovernment. The RSPs can contribute greatlyby enlisting the COs as CCBs and work onthis has begun in all RSPs across Pakistan.These COs have immense potential forinclusion and complementarily to thedevolution process at the grassroots. This isan ideal opportunity for these COs to gainrecognition within the local governmentsystem and to access public funds that canbe utilized in an effective and transparentmanner. The use and allocation of publicfunds in this manner can only strengthen thegovernment’s plan for devolution and goodgovernance.

The RSPs can facilitate District Governments,Tehsil and Union Administrations incompliance of their mandates. Generally allRSPs, and especially NRSP, are in a positionto offer governments, in particular theDistrict Governments, a large network ofCommunity Organisations, as well as theirexpertise and experiences in facilitatinglinkages between government bodies andpeople.

NRSP’s experience indicates that effectivegrassroots organisations can be created onlythrough a process of capacity building of thecommunities. NRSP is willing to act as adevelopment agent through a partnershipwith the communities, elected local councils,federal & provincial governments and donors.This will also require further increasing thecoverage of NRSP if there is to be a criticalmass of effective social organisation toenable ‘bottom-up’ planning and effectivelinkages.


Annexes• Guidelines/Terms of Reference (ToR) for NRSP/PRSP• Copy of MoU between NRSP and District Government Jhelum


29

Guidelines/Terms of Reference (ToR) forNRSP/PRSP

In the year 2001-02, Government of Punjab provided funds to NRSP and PRSP for theimplementation of community physical infrastructure schemes under Khushhal PakistanProgramme. For this, the Planning and Development Department (P&D), Government of Punjabissued guidelines for NRSP and NRSP. These guidelines provide procedures for working of NRSP toimplement development projects in partnership with departments and agencies working under theGovernment of Punjab. NRSP and District Government Jhelum agreed to follow these guidelines.

The main points of the terms of Reference (ToR) for NRSP to implement projects under theKhushhal Pakistan Programme (KPP/IRUDP) are given below:

1. Regional General Managers / Regional Programme Managers/ Officers of Rural SupportProgrammes (National Rural Support Programme/Punjab Rural Support Programme) willforward a portfolio to the concerned District Development Committee (DDC) for information.

2. No tendering will be done, as the Rural Support Programmes will be considered as executingagencies similar to the line departments. The RSPs will execute the schemes through theconcerned community organisations.

3. The Rural Support Programmes will open separate bank accounts for funds of IRUDP/KPP forpoverty alleviation.

4. The project will be completed within one year from the date of release of funds.

5. RSPs’ field engineers will conduct technical surveys by involving the community, prepare thedetailed estimates based on Composite Schedule Rates 98. Project Proposals and estimatesshall contain the scope of work and all necessary plans, cross sections etc. A list of feasibleschemes will be prepared prior to preparation of cost estimates.

6. Terms of Partnership (ToP) will be signed with the community organisation (CO) before thestart of execution. A project Committee of the concerned CO will be formed at the time ofsigning the ToP.

7. An amount of Rs. 10 million shall be released for each of the two districts of NRSP: Chakwaland Khushab.

8. A Project Completion Report will be prepared by NRSP and submitted to the DistrictDevelopment Committee (DDC).

9. The Finance Department, in consultation with the RSPs, would prepare simple/separateguidelines to facilitate carrying out audit of these schemes.

10. The community organisations (COs) will contribute 20% of the total cost of the scheme in theform of cash, material and labour.

11. The Operation and maintenance of the scheme, as per the ToP, will be the responsibility ofthe beneficiary community. This will be verified by NRSP field staff during their routine visitsand the facts recorded in the “Karwai Register” of the CO.

12. NRSP will be paid 4% of the total cost of the project for overheads as well as training of COmembers for operation & maintenance. NRSP will not demand any funds againstcontingencies.

13. Small schemes not costing more than Rs. 500,000/- (Rs. 5 lakhs) for each scheme would beselected. Schemes over Rs. 5 lakhs would also be executed subject to conceptual clearanceby Planning & Development Department.

14. Transparent accounting and financial efficiency should be the hallmark of this programme.

15. All schemes should fall within the scope of IRUDP/KPP for poverty alleviation. Culverts shouldbe on public way to avoid subsequent complications in case of private ownership. Similarlyprivate land should be transferred in the name of the community or the state, as the casemay be, before spending Government funds on it.

16. Schemes will be identified on the basis of need indicated by the Community.

jhelum main report text

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