KABUL (PAN): Minister-designate for rural development Wais Ahmad Barmak has said that a large number of people in the rural areas will get access to clean drinking water in the coming five years. Barmak said this during his appearance before the Wolesi Jirga to get trust vote from the parliamentarians on Saturday. He said the national reconciliation programme would be extended to all parts of the country during those years. He said if managed to get trust vote from the Wolesi Jirga, he would launch eight national programmes for the development of rural areas in the coming five years. He said 20 per cent people in the rural areas had access to clean drinking water. During my period as minister, I shall expand the percentage manifold, he claimed. In this connection, he said 40,000 water channels would be dug up to overcome the problem. He said 22,000 shuras had been constituted on rural level. The shuras had recommended 30,000 projects which have been completed at the cost of 700 million dollars. He said 10,000 more shuras would be formed to further extend the programme. He also promised provision of power supply to rural areas. In the same token, handicrafts and local produce would also be promoted in the country and outside, he added. He said industrial parks would be constructed in different areas of the country by using an appropriate technology. Regarding the nomadic Kuchis, he said they were making a big part of the local population and they were not given their due rights in the past few years. He said special development programmes would be launched for them in the coming years. Wais Ahmad Barmak is among he ministers who are entering President Hamid Karzais cabinet for the first time. dk
