PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is striving to increase the volume of the Provincial Development portfolio to over Rs1 trillion within the next four years. All this, is being made possible by the measures taken by the Provincial Government as was revealed during a meeting of the Cabinet held here on Friday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur.
The meeting was attended by the cabinet members, Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretaries, Senior Member Board of Revenue, and Administrative Secretaries.
The Chief Minister directed that all development and welfare projects be completed on merit and in a transparent manner within the stipulated timeframe to achieve the desired results. He directed the cabinet members to review departmental performance regularly and actively oversee the progress of development initiatives. The Chief Minister stressed the importance of maintaining quality standards and urged cabinet members to closely monitor projects in their respective districts and regions. Highlighting the significance of sustainable development and employment generation, the Chief Minister stated that these factors play a crucial role in the eradication of terrorism and ensuring long-term stability and peace in the province.
At the outset of the meeting, the cabinet was briefed in detail about the progress on development schemes arrayed under the title of Strategic High-Impact Flagship Targets (SHIFT). These initiatives are dedicated to advancing inclusive, equitable, and sustainable development agenda, with a core focus on elevating the living standards of citizens-especially those in historically marginalized and underserved regions of the Province. At the moment it included 51 projects of social, infrastructure and urban, economic development, environmental sustainability, governance and public administration and integrated sectoral approaches but more and more such projects will be continuously added to it with the passage of time. The total financial worth of these schemes is Rs500 billion at the moment.
The Cabinet conditionally approved the extension of Special Forum till June, 2027, subject to the release of funds by the Federal Government, in order to ensure optimum oversight and effective management of the ongoing and recently approved projects under permanent reconstruction. The permanent reconstruction project is aimed at rehabilitating the Temporary Displaced Persons (TDPs) in Merged Districts. In this respect, the Chief Minister emphasized that his government will make every effort for the uplift of the people of the Merged Districts.
The Cabinet also approved the inclusion of the Non-ADP Scheme in ADP 2024-25 for the project “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Solarization of Houses Initiative”. Under the project, 130,000 households across the province will be solarized. The solar scheme will be provided to the households through allocation in proportion to the population of the districts. One part of the scheme will be free for poor families while the other part will be under bank loan partnership. This is a significant stride towards sustainable energy solutions designed to empower communities by providing them with clean, reliable, and renewable energy.
The Cabinet approved transfer / allotment of land for construction of Warehouse at District Chitral Upper. The purpose of the warehouse construction is to strengthen the preparedness level and reach of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority at the time of emergencies at that far flung area.
The Cabinet approved transfer of possession state land to the Sports and Youth Affairs Department for the establishment of Jawan Markaz in Upper Chitral and Charsadda districts. It also approved the appointment of Chairperson and Members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of Women. The cabinet accorded ex-post facto approval to the declaration of Emergency in district Hangu to the extent of facilitating the TDPs of Kurram District there. The emergency was declared on 22nd January 2025, limited to the handling of TDPs of district Kurram accommodated in the temporary camps at Hangu.
The Cabinet approved amendments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information Act 2013. As per the decision, sections 2, 6, 25, 26 and 32 of the Act are amended to make it more effective and to ensure that the citizens have improved access to information held by public bodies and to make the government entities more accountable to its people, besides affording the citizens any opportunity of appeal against the orders passed by the Information Commission.
The Cabinet also approved amendments in Section-11 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Control of Narcotics Substances Act, 2019 and referred amendments in Sections 2, 9, and 22 of the said Act to the already constituted committee for deliberation and submission of recommendations to the Cabinet.
The Cabinet approved the appointment of two private members of the Upper Swat Development Authority Board. Deliberating on the agenda related to the Wood Working Centers of the Small Industrial Development Board, the Chief Minister directed the authorities to submit a detailed report on the functional capacity and future business model of the centres.
