Gilgit-Baltistan Rural Support Program (GBRSP) being established, says Chief Minister

Gilgit, 19 September: The Government of Gilgit-Baltistan has announced to establish Gilgit-Baltistan Rural Support Program (GBRSP) for resolving public issues at gross route levels.

The announcement made by the Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan Haif Hafeez-ur-Rehman while addressing to a symposium titled “Promoting Partnerships for Youth and Community Development on Saturday.

The symposium was organized by the Aga Khan Rural Support Program(AKRSP) in collaboration with Aga Khan Planning and Building Services (AKPBS’P), Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada which was attended by representatives of more than 77 Local Support Organizations (LSO’s) and other stakeholders.

The Chief Minister said that the GBRSP will be run by renowned development specialists across Pakistan like Shoaib Sultan Khan, Nisar Memon and other important figures who should make policies for sustainable development and poverty alleviation from Gilgit-Baltistan. An endowment fund will be allocated for this purpose by the GB government, the CM added.

He said that the provincial government is committed to delicate powers to the local bodies by holding local government elections in next year in which special seats will be allocated for youth, adding that the local government authorities will work in close coordination with the Local Support Organizations (LSO’s).

Focusing on the youth issues of GB, the Chief Minister said that providing jobs for a huge number of youth is an impossible task for the government hence for their government seeks vocational and technical education programs to address these challenging issues.

Appreciating the efforts of AKRSP and the Aga Khan Foundation for development and poverty alleviation in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral regions, Hafeez-ur-Rehman said that he has been witnessing the activities of these organizations for improvement of the socio-economic conditions of people at gross rout levels for last 30 years and considered the AKRSP as major stakeholder of the provincial government.

Speaking on the occasion Deputy Speaker of the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly Jafarullah Khan said that the GB government is committed for development and poverty reduction from the region and policies are being made for this purpose at all levels.

He said that the contribution of AKRSP and other agencies of the Aga Khan Foundation for improvement of health, education and rural development in GB are worth quotable, adding that the government also needs such policies for sustainable development of the area.

  “It is the event, where LSOs officials gathered for experience sharing, adaption of innovative ideas and development of linkages with government and other organizations” said AKRSP’s Regional Program Manager Jamiluddin while explaining the objectives of holding this symposium.

He said that the Chief Minister might be aware about the role of AKRSP for sustainability development through community participation in GB and Chitral for last 30 years. However, sharing contributions of LSOs as a viable support mechanism for intermediation of services between communities and government was important to discuss so that they could be able to explore ways for possible public private partnerships at all levels.