Pakistan to get US$ 1.5 billion annually

US: The State Department plans to significantly scale back its use of US foreign aid contractors in Pakistan, saying it wants to funnel more money directly to the government and local groups, according to a USA Today report Friday.

The actions come as Kerry-Lugar Bill to provide $ 1.5 billion annually in socio-economic development aid to Pakistan is heading to President Barack Obama desk.

State Department officials want to cut overhead costs and help Pakistani groups develop their ability to deliver aid, Piper Campbell, Chief of Staff to Deputy Secretary of State Jack Lew, said according to the newspaper.

However, they have not determined how that aid will be distributed. The US Embassy in Pakistan is working quickly to identify capable partners and mechanisms, Campbell said.

US aid efforts in the region have been beset by high overhead and waste, according to audits conducted by the U.S. Agency for International Developments Inspector General. In March, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told USA TODAY that she was concerned about the outsourcing of aid to U.S. contractors and that she was committed to a concerted effort to change how aid is delivered.

Richard Holbrooke, the special envoy who oversees much of US policy in Pakistan and Afghanistan, has said he wants to reduce the role of contractors who deliver aid in the area.

He also said he favours steering more aid through the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The State Department is moving in the right direction as quickly as possible while ensuring that essential services are not disrupted in the process, Lew said. WASHINGTON, APP