The incumbent Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has cleared Rs.78.5 billion inherited liabilities and increased the provincial revenue by over 49 per cent while the surplus budget during the last six months has crossed Rs. 169 billion. This was revealed during the 23rd meeting of the Provincial Cabinet held at the Civil Secretariat Peshawar chaired by Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Khan Gandapur. Ministers, Advisors, Special Assistants, Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretaries, Senior Member Board of Revenue, and Administrative Secretaries participated in the meeting.
All this has been made possible despite the fact that it has established a debt management fund to pay off debts and has added Rs 30 billion to this fund besides numerous welfare initiatives. All this happened due to the proper financial management and commitment of the government.
In his opening remarks, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Khan Gandapur stated that the draft Ramadan package of the Provincial Government was almost ready and will soon be presented to the cabinet next week. He said that each and every parliamentarian will send a list of five thousand poor people from his constituency who will be given Rs.10, 000/- each as part of the said package. He emphasized that all parliamentarians should ensure the names, photo copies of the CNICs, and easy paisa accounts to reach the concerned offices in time. He also said that local administration should be timely mobilized so that no profiteer exploits the general public at large during the holy month of Ramadan. He also stressed ensuring transparency in these processes.
It was also revealed that the 26th meeting of the Cabinet will review the one year performance of each and every Provincial Department.
The Cabinet approved the provision of Rs. 1,212.96 million as a non-ADP scheme for the treatment of haemophilia patients in the province. The scheme will be funded by 50 per cent each by the Provincial Government and Roche Pakistan. It was further revealed that currently, there are 850 haemophilia patients registered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, out of whom 65 children are unable to get treatment due to the high cost of medicines.
The cabinet approved Rs 19.374 billion for the construction of Buner-Karakar Tunnel in Buner district and a bridge over the Indus River in Torghar district. The construction of Karakar Tunnel will significantly reduce the travel time between Buner and Swat, while the bridge will reinforce the bonds of close relations among the people of all these divisions, i.e. Malakand, Hazara and Mardan.
The Cabinet also approved the re-appropriation of the unspent amount of Rs. 781.485 million from the scheme ‘Development of Tourists Spots in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’ to the scheme ‘Rehabilitation of Flood Damaged Rural Roads under the Counter Value Funds. Thus, the said fund will now be utilized for construction of tourist roads.
It also approved the provision of a grant of Rs. 100 million to the Sports and Youth Affairs Department for the revival of the Youth Endowment Fund. This fund will be used for capacity building of youth organizations, financial assistance for participation in national and international conferences, cash prizes for outstanding youth, and other youth related activities.
The Cabinet also approved the release of a grant of Rs. 80 million for Cadet College Mammad Gat (Mohmand) and a grant-in-aid of Rs. 80 million for Peshawar Model School and College. It also approved the increase in the fixed pay package for the chairman and members of the FATA Tribunal, to bring it at par with other tribunals in the province.
