POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY IN PAKISTAN AN ASSESSMENT OF PRMP 2003-2008

Abstract

The government of Punjab initiated many measures to reorient its administration in the late 1990s to improve service delivery to the poor. In late 2003 the government of Punjab sought ADB’s support for public resource management reforms targeted at poverty reduction. Under the Punjab Resource Management Programme, 2003-2008, the government rationalized tax structure, developed a debt management strategy, broadened the base of non-tax revenues, prepared policies for the restructuring of administration and human resource management and liberalized regulatory and administrative regulations for increased private sector participation in service delivery. As a part of its plan to enhance pro-poor expenditure the government also provided proprietary rights to slum dwellers and land to the landless. Many of these measures may be rated as successful but they have not proved to be sustainable beyond the programme period.