The country is shockingly experiencing administrative and management problems in every field of life and capacity building of the government hierarchy is the only answer. When political leadership is visionary, it will better know how to regulate the bureaucracy and when it is not, the bureaucracy will actually rule the affairs. The implementation machinery only works when its performance is strictly monitored. In its latest annual review for the financial year 2015-16, the Asian Development Bank has voiced concern over the slow pace of work on the projects it sponsored in Punjab and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. The lending agency has committed over $750 million for seven projects in the fields of agriculture, natural resources and rural development. However, the main challenges pointed out by the bank are sustainability of reforms as well as associated operations and management in agriculture sector as slippages of performance could delay implementation of contracts. The bank points out that low salary packages and unnecessary delay in the recruitment process would subsequently delay the establishment of the management units in the Fata Water Resources Development Project. In Punjab, the funds will be used in irrigation projects in Jalapur, Greater Thal and Cholistan.
The Central Development Working Party approved the blueprints of the Fata Water Resources Development Project in March last year. The project was envisioned in December 2014 with $41 million concessional development funds. However, after the passage of around two years, the project is still facing delayed procurement activities as well as delays in the establishment of the project implementation units, causing the bank to rate the project as the actual problem. Despite achieving success rate in some development projects under country partnership strategy, the agribusiness development project remained unsuccessful in the past. Experts see most of the development projects as gateway to corruption and an added burden on the national economy.
Earlier, under a four-year country partnership programme, the natural resources and rural development project was envisaged to rehabilitate and upgrade the irrigation infrastructure in Balochistan, Fata, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. However, delays in the implementation of the project and mismanagement always remained a problem area in Pakistan. The government should seriously launch crash programmes for government officials to keep them abreast of the modern problem-solving techniques. Several government and non-government organizations in developed countries conduct research and study programmes and their results can be utilized in the country. The current bureaucratic culture is marred by lethargy and deferments as if the only aim of the officials is to pass their service period without using their personal abilities and potentials. The government must put a question before itself and its machinery why Pakistan lags behind the countries in the region. The administrative failure should not be an option.
