The key to practical democracy is the active involvement of the citizens in every aspect of governance; and budgets as an imperative

instrument of governance are no exception. However, the budget-making process in Pakistan has been closed and largely opaque since the time of independence

District Budget Punjab

Study of Budget Making Process at District Level

Citizens Network for Budget Accountability

Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) would welcome reproduction and dissemination of the contents of the report with due acknowledgments. Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) 409-B, Nazim-ud-Din Road, F-11/1, Islamabad t: +92 51 210 82 87, 211 23 15, +92 51 431 94 30 f: +92 51 210 15 94 email: info@cpdi-pakistan.org www.cpdi-pakistan.org Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents of this publication. The organization does not accept any responsibility of any omission as it is not deliberate. Nevertheless, we will appreciate provision of accurate information to improve our work.

Table of Content

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Figure 2: District Government Website

Initially many of the district officials claimed that they do have a website but when it was checked, there were no traces of it. When contacted again to ask the same question, it was learnt that many officials were pointing towards their district page at the Punjab government s web portal (www.punjab.gov.pk) The Punjab government s web portal has one page of each district that contains some basic information of the district. This page, by no means, can be reckoned as district government website.

v What is shocking is that City Districts like Lahore and Rawalpindi do not have their websites. v There are three districts:Faisalabad , Multan and Sialkot, which have very good websites. Multans website has a section named Progress Report where the progress of different projects can be viewed. It also has a section where the budget 2012-13 is available. v Sialkots website has a separate section for Budgets, but unfortunately there is no data posted. v A section named Latest Updates in Faisalabads website contains Budget for the current fiscal year, separate budgets for primary and secondary education and previous years development and non-development budgets.

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Q2 Budget Call Letter (BCL) has been issued?

Q3 Date of Budget release is mentioned in BCL?

Yes, date of budget release is... No, date of budget release is... Information not shared

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Q4 Vision/Mission of Local Government is mentioned in the BCL?

Q5 EDO (F&P) has sent Budget Calendar with Budget Call Letter?

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Q6 The District Government (DG) has held consultation with stake holders before issuing Budget Call Letter?

Q7 Advance notification was given by district government for consultation with stake holder son BCL?

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Q8 Purpose of public consultations before finalizing the BCL was clearly articulated in the notification of consultation?

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Q9 Following means were used to notify the public for consultation (taking feedback)while finalizing the BCL [Click all relevant options]

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Q10 Followings take holders were consulted while finalizing Budget Call Letter [Click all relevant options]

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Q11 Following means were used to notify the public that their feed back and suggestion included while finalizing the BCL

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Q12 The Collecting Officers (CO) have submitted estimates of Receipts to EDO (F&P)?

Q13 The estimates of expenditures have been submitted to EDO(F&P) by Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) ? (Hint: Date for submission of estimates of receipts and expenditure to EDO (F&P) is 1st of March)

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Q14 Statement of New Expenditure (SNE) has been finalized by district government?

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Q15 The Statement of Excess and Surrender has been prepared by local government?[Hint:Statement of Excess and Surrender should be finalized in Month of March]

Q16 The Revised Estimates based on Statement of Excess and Surrender has been prepared by local government?

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Q17 Budget & Development Committee has approved the revised estimates?

Q18 Headof Offices have submitted requests for Supplementary grants toEDO(F&P)offices?

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Q19 Head of Offices submitted the new development project proposals to EDO (F&P) office?

Q20 New Development Project proposals have been submitted to Budget and Development Committee?

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Q21 District Government has planned to hold any pre-budget consultation this year?[Wedefine prebudget consultation as any consultation, for mal or informal, for which initiative was taken by district government]

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Q22 Following stake holders were consulted during the process of prebudget consultation [Click all relevantoptions]

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Q23 Following means were used to notify the public for pre-budget consultation

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Q24 Following means were used to notify the public that their feedback and suggestion included in Budget Proposals

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Q25 Budget Officer (DO/Budget) is posted in F&P department?

Q29 EDO(F&P) office has research staff to conduct market research and analyze the budget proposals?

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Q30 AllpersonsworkingonBudget have computer sat their disposal? (Y/N)

Q3 1Staff working in Budget Branch have access to internet at their workplace?

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Q32 District government has released a pre-budget statement to the public? [Pre bud get statement iseconomic forecast for the next financially ear prepared and released by government. It is usually released before the release of budget proposals]

Q33 District government has prepared Citizen Budget for the use of general public? [Notes: We define citizen Budget as presentation of budget in easy-to-understand, non- technical language for the benefit of citizens]

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Q34 Following details are included in Citizen Budget [Click all relevant options]

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Q35 Following means are used to disseminate Citizen Budget [Click all relevant options]

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Q36 District Government has released to the public the timetable of different stages for formulating budget?(Y/N)

Q37 District government has a website?

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Q38 District government has posted budget on its website?

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Citizens Network for Budget Accountability (CNBA)

CNBA is a web of 23 civil society organizations and activists from different districts of the Punjab province. These membersand groups are working in the development sector on issues of human rights , poverty alleviation and socio -economic justice acros s different parts of the Punjab. Not necessarily all of them are working on budget but they have shown ke en interest in engaging in budget work at district level. The member organizations of CNBA are given in alphabetical order hereunder : Al-Eimman Development Organization Al-Mustafa Development Organization (AMDO) BeFare Centre for Peace & Development Initiatives (CPDI) DARE Good Thinkers Organization for Human Development (GTO) Growing Laggar Aspiring Development (GLAD) Insan Dost Association (IDA) Pakistan Rural Workers Social Welfare Organization (PRWSWO) Patient Welfare Society (PWS) Peace and Development Foundation (PDF) Public Democratic Forum (PDF) Punjab Lok Sujag Research & Community Development Organization SAIBAN SANGAT Sanjh Foundation Sanjh Preet Organization Society for Human Amity Peace and Education (SHAPE) Society for Sustainable Development (SSD) Sun Community Development Foundation (SCDF) UFAQ Development Organization (UDO) United Social Welfare Society

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Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, (CPDI) is an independent, non-partisan and a not-for-profit civil society organization working on issues of peace and development in Pakistan. It is registered Under Section 42 of the Companies Ordinance, 1984 (XLVII of 1984). It was established in September 2003 by a group of concerned citizens who realized that there was a need to approach the issue of peace and development in a an integrated manner. CPDI is a first initiative of its kind in Pakistan. It seeks to inform and influence public policies and civil society initiatives through research-based advocacy and capacity building in order to promote citizenship, build peace and achieve inclusive and sustainable development. Areas of special sectoral focus include promotion of peace and tolerance, rule of law, transparency and access to information, budget watch and Legislative Watch and Development.

409-B, Nazim-ud-Din Road, F-11/1, Islamabad

t: +92 51 210 82 87, 211 23 15 f: +92 51 210 15 94 e: info@cpdi-pakistan.org

A Company setup under Section 42 of the Companies Ordinance, 1984

www.cpdi-pakistan.org