Following up on a commitment given at the 2015 Paris COP, the Prime Minister directed that a federal programme be launched for revival of forest and wildlife resources, even though both these subjects have been provincial subjects for several decades, well before the devolution of the 18th Amendment, Ministry of Climate Change.
The Green Pakistan Programme for revival of forest and wildlife resources in Pakistan (GPP) has been envisaged as an equal sharing federal-provincial programme to be implemented with the support of all provinces and federating units. The GPP was approved by the Prime Minister of Pakistan on 26.05.2016 with an allocation of PKR one billion made in the current budget effective 01.07.2016,Ministry of Climate Change.
With a formal consent and commitment of financial share by all provincial governments being a pre-requisite to GPP formulation, the Federal Minister for Climate Change wrote anticipatory letters to the Chief Ministers of the provinces, Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (for the FATA) and Prime Minister AJK (on 08.06.2016) to request preparation of PC-I schemes and provision of financial share for the programme.
Subsequently, on 20.06.2016, the Secretary Climate Change sensitized provincial P&D Departments to ensure funding for the programme. An interprovincial coordination / consultative meeting was chaired by the Federal Minister Climate Change on 29.06.2016 to expedite the response from the provincial governments. Finally the umbrella PC-I scheme for the forestry component was recommended by CDWP for ECNEC (Executive Committee of the National Economic Council) on 10.11.2016 which approved it on 25.01.2017 with a total outlay of Rs. 3.652 billion, Ministry of Climate Change.
All provincial governments have contributed towards the Green Pakistan Programme. The Ministry of Planning, Development & Reforms (PD&R) authorized implementation on 02.02.2017.The Prime Minister of Pakistan inaugurated the GPP on 09.02.2017 Rs. 553 million were released to provinces and territories by Accountant General of Pakistan Revenues (AGPR) on 07-04.2017. The first meeting of the Programme Steering Committee of GPP was held on 19.04.2017 to set direction for on ground implementation of the programme activities, Ministry of Climate Change.
Provincial consultation on wildlife component of GPP was held on 19.07.2016 and 24.08.2016. All provinces and territories got their PC-I schemes approved from respective forums / authorities from August to November 2016. An umbrella PC-I scheme on wildlife component was processed to PD&R on 30.11.2016 and approved by CDWP on 17.01.2017. In accordance with minutes of the CDWP issued on 13.02.2017, an interprovincial consultation meeting was held on 13.03.2017. The PD&R issued authorization to implement the revised PC-I scheme on 17.04.2017. The Ministry of Climate Change issued the Administrative Approval amounting to Rs. 1.065 billion on 20.04.2017. A token amount of Rs. 6.000 million has been released for wildlife component to the provinces and territories during 2016-17. Two other aspects of GPP are the revival of historical organization, Zoological Survey of Pakistan and starting of work on the National Zoological cum Botanical Gardens in Islamabad.
PREVIOUS NEXT
