PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet in a meeting held here on Thursday with Chief Minister Mahmood Khan in the chair approved the provision of subsidized Atta to public at the rate of Rs980 per 20kg bag and Rs490 per 10kg bag during the current month, which will cost a sum of approximately Rs30 billion as subsidy.
Sales points and shops will be established and specified the province over to provide Ata to the public on subsidized rates and wheat supply to the Flour Mills too will be started during the current month. The meeting besides the cabinet members was also attended by the Provincial Chief Secretary, Senior Member Board of Revenue, Additional Chief Secretary and Administrative Secretaries of various Government Departments.
Minister for Higher Education Kamran Khan Bangash while briefing media persons about the decisions of the cabinet meeting at ITLA’A Cell informed that the cabinet also approved the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Medical Officers of Health Department (Regularization of Services) Bill, 2022 to regularize as many as 675 contract doctors who have been serving in various health facilities of the province during Corona.
The regularization of the contract medical officers will contribute towards improving further the health delivery services in the province and benefit the ailing humanity. The provincial cabinet, he said, approved the regularization of remaining 210 project employees of the Livestock Department who were working in various projects in the erstwhile FATA.
Similarly, the cabinet accorded approval to the creation of 34 IT-cadre posts in the Excise and Taxation Department which included the posts of Director, Deputy Director and Assistant Director as well. The cabinet, he said, approved regularization/adjustment of 296 employees of the community based CDLD project in Malakand against the vacant posts in Local Government Department. The employees include Engineers, Sub-Engineers and other staff.
The Minister for Higher Education further informed that the cabinet approved the absorption of 33 Khasadars and 77 levies of South Waziristan Tribal District and District Lakki Marwat respectively in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police as per provision of the Khasadars Force (Absorption in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police) Rules, 2019 and the Levies Force (Absorption in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police) Rules, 2019.
The cabinet, he said, approved additional funds of Rs.265 million for the ongoing Greater Water Supply Schemes Mingora and Kohat under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cities Improvement Project. Similarly, a sum of Rs.200 million as seed money was approved to set up fund for the development of Wildlife and National Parks, public awareness and research etc. in the Wildlife sector during the financial year 2022-23.
He informed that the cabinet accorded approval of a Grant-in-Aid of Rs.200 million for University of Chitral to enable the university, which is in an embryonic stage, meet its operational expenses. Kamran Bangash said the cabinet expressed its deep concern over reducing the number of National Assembly seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as instead of reduction they were required to be enhanced further on the basis of population ratio.
The cabinet, he said, also expressed its annoyance over the public complaints with regard to alleged alternation in the voters’ lists, which may pave the way for rigging by the Federal Government and decided to take this matter up with the Election Commission of Pakistan.
In case the alternations are not stopped, then the judiciary will be approached in this regard, he informed. The cabinet, he said, observed that the legislation carried out by the PTI-led Government could have paved the way for holding free, fair and transparent elections in the country had that not been abolished by the incumbent government.
The cabinet, he said, also approved the posting of Asad Ali, District and Sessions Judge as Judge, Anti-Terrorism Court, Swat as recommended by the Chief Justice, Peshawar High Court. Similarly, the cabinet approved taking the matter with regard to handing over the Pakistan Hunting and Sporting Development Company to the province and its merger in SMEDA up with the relevant Division of the Federal Government.
It merits to mention that the arms business in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is as much old as150 years and there are more than 300 arms manufacturing units in Peshawar and Dara Adam Khel where thousands of people are working. The transfer of the company to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will not only benefit thousands of people but also boost the industry.
The shifting is expected to bring investment of Rs.7 billion. The cabinet also approved seven non-official members for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Board which included representation from Peshawar, Mardan, Hazara, Kohat, DI Khan, Bannu and Malakand Civil Divisions.
He said, the cabinet accorded approval towards the establishment of Community Game Reserve in the districts of Malakand, Hangu and Lakki Marwat. The areas declared as Community Managed Game Reserves include Degar Raj District Malakand, Chamba Gul District Hangu and Qimat Manji Wala Laki Marwat.
The cabinet also approved the utilization of Forests land for the provision of clean drinking water to the masses in Shakardara District Kohat. To overcome the growing pollution in Peshawar, the cabinet approved the formation of an oversight and implementation committee which comprise three Ministers and MPAs from Peshawar as well as Secretaries of relevant departments and Environmental Authority.
Provincial Ministers Taimur Salim Jhagra, Kamran Khan Bangash and Ishtiaq Urmar will be part of the committee. The cabinet, he said, also approved amendments in the Local Council (Conduct of Elections) Rules 2021 to sort out the disputes after the conduction of Local Government Elections as well as to streamline the functions and responsibilities of the Election Commission.