K-P cabinet approves internship policy

Govt allows using land of agricultural department for ‘other purposes’

PESHAWAR: In another populist move intended to woo the bulging youth population of the province, the provincial government on Thursday approved an internship policy — similar to the Prime Minister’s Internship Programme — which would arm youngsters in the province with skills-improvement opportunities.

In a meeting chaired by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, the provincial cabinet on Thursday granted its approval to a host of measures including the internship policy, an amendment to the Child Protection Act 2010, risk allowance for police officers, technical allowance for government engineers and utilisation of agricultural development for multiple purposes.

As per the internship policy, government departments will induct as many as 5,000 young graduates of the province in their projects. These graduates would have had to complete 16 years of education and a degree from a Higher Education Commission (HEC) recognised institution, or they should have a three-year diploma of an associate engineer, paramedic, technician courses, or any other recognized diploma intermediate in a technical field from a recognized regulatory body.

Youngsters no older than 29-years-of-age are eligible to apply. The PM’s internship scheme caps off at 25-years-of-age except in Balochistan where youngsters as old as 30 can apply.

The candidates will be selected on the basis of highest scores tabulated for meeting all the qualifications and in terms of final degree required for the internship slot.

While the internships will last for a year and the applicants will be selected on merit, the term for the placement can be extended for a year only on a semi-meritorious basis for those who are either Hafiz-e-Quran, are differently-abled, belong to the minority community or are gold-medalists.

Successful candidates will be provided with a monthly stipend of Rs25,000. By contrast, the national programme provides a stipend of Rs15,000.

An internship portal will be used where aspiring candidates can apply for internships.

The cabinet also approved a risk allowance for officers of the police force, following on from a similar allowance approved for civil servants working in the province. Like the civil servants, the risk allowance will be equal to 1.5 times the basic pay of the officers.

Similarly, a technical allowance was approved for government engineers.

In a bizarre move, the government okayed a move to use the land of the agriculture department for other purposes. The cabinet explained that while the agricultural department will retain possession of the land, it can be used for “actual needs, public entertainment and ensuring that the land could not be encroached”.

The cabinet also approved amendments in the Child Protection and Welfare Act 2010, to improve the law relating to child protection in the province. According to the amendment, the Health secretary health or his representative will now be a member of the child protection commission. Moreover, child protection units will be established at the district level and the district social welfare officers will be in-charge of the district units. A child protection officer appointed by the commission will assist the district social welfare officers.

At the provincial level, chief protection officer will look after the activities and functions.

The cabinet also approved to change the name of the under-construction Oghi district headquarter hospital to Bilal Ahmed Shaheed. Bilal had embraced martyrdom on December 1, 2017, in the attack on agriculture training institute in Peshawar while fighting attackers.

The cabinet also approved human right policy in the province under which budget for human rights will be increased, human rights will be a part of police training, special training for investigation officers on women protection, putting an end to the deaths in police custody and creating awareness regarding human rights.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2018.