Govt more than triples funds for ex-FATA

Finance minister says primary focus on developing social sectors of the area

PESHAWAR: The provincial government on Tuesday allocated a whopping Rs162 billion for the newly-merged tribal districts, including Rs83 billion for development works and Rs79 billion for non-development expenditures.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra in his budget speech said that in the last fiscal year, the Fata Secretariat was provided Rs55 billion in funds. However, the allocation for the tribal areas was increased to Rs162 billion.

He added that they had reserved a Rs59 billion block in their development budget as part of the 10-year development plan for erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata). In this regard, he said that they had set their primary focus on the social sector including health, education, jobs, wealth creation –and on other programmes which have a rapid impact

The second focus is on improving infrastructure and projects with economic impact such as roads, and power. Further, any specific projects announced by either Prime Minister Imran Khan or Chief Minister Mahmood Khan will be funded.

For agriculture development, the government has set aside Rs1.32 billion, a billion for water and sanitation, Rs1.44 billion for buildings, Rs9.8 million for excise and taxation and Rs3 billion for the Fata Development Authority.

In the power and energy sector,  Rs530 million have been set aside, Rs20 million for food, Rs830 million for forest, Rs1.75 billion for health and related affairs, Rs540 million for higher education, Rs90 million for interior affairs, Rs57.3 million for industry, Rs9.9 million for information, Rs4.9 million for labour, Rs39.1 million for law and justice, Rs1.22 billion for multi-sector development programme, Rs4.9 million for population welfare, Rs730 million for sports and tourism, Rs19.7 million for science and technology, Rs177.6 million for transport, Rs720 million for citizen development and Rs1.3 billion for water sector.

Jhagra said that Rs24 billion will be used to create 17,000 new jobs in the region apart from regularizing Levies and Khasadars.

Key projects highlighted include Rs130 million for setting up level-II trauma centres and emergency centres in all district headquarters hospitals in the merged areas.

Further, Rs280 million have been set aside for the provision of furniture and other equipment in functional schools of erstwhile Fata.

The government has also set aside Rs59 million for providing sports facilities and grounds in all sub-divisions of the tribal districts.

Moreover, Rs300 million have been set aside for the rehabilitation, maintenance and repair of existing power supply lines and installing new main lines and transformers in all tribal districts.

A 54 kilometre long Mir Ali-Shawa and Thall Road will be built in North Waziristan while the Barang tunnel to connect Bajaur with the Swat Expressway will be constructed. All roads in the merged tribal districts will be blacktopped.

Budget documents showed that a total of Rs47.43 billion will be spent to pay the salaries of some 92,865 employees of the merged districts.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2019.