K-P PDWP approves eight projects worth Rs5.5 billion

Other projects include the establishment of IMU, Ujala centres in SWA, digital jobs

PESHAWAR: A key project evaluation and approval body of the provincial government on Wednesday approved eight projects worth Rs5.54 billion, including scholarships for students of the erstwhile federally administered tribal areas.

This was decided in a meeting of the Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) which met with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Additional Chief Secretary Dr Shahzad Khan Bangash in the chair in Peshawar on Wednesday.

In a statement released after Wednesday’s meeting, it said that the forum considered nine projects of different sectors including Elementary and Secondary Education, home, local government, multi-sectoral development, roads and the science and technology sectors for the uplift of the province and the newly-merged areas.

Of the nine considered, eight were approved with estimated costs of Rs5.54 million. The lone project not to be approved was deferred due to inadequate design. It was returned to the respective department for rectification.

PDWP approves 42 projects worth Rs24b

The projects for E&SE sector which were approved include “Award of Scholarships to Fata students of Cadet Colleges during 2018-19, solarization and providing missing facilities for various educational institutions in Dera Ismail Khan sub-division. Furthermore, a project to establish an Independent Monitoring Unit (IMU) in the E&SE Department (SBSE) was also approved.

In the home sector, a project for setting up a “de-radicalization ‘Ujala’ centre in South Waziristan”.

For the local government sector, a project for the establishment of “Municipal Management Information Unit (MMIU) at the Water and Sanitation Service Peshawar (WSSP) under the Water and Sanitation Improvement Project of Municipal Service Delivery Programme K-P (MSPK-P)” was approved.

A project for “Establishment of Performance Management and Reforms Unit in the Chief Secretary Office” for the Multi-sectoral Development sector was also approved.

The PDWP approved “concept clearance for the rehabilitation of a road in Swat District and two roads in Haripur District under the CVF fund.

In science and technology, a project of “digital jobs for K-P — assisted by MDTF was approved.

Agriculture varsity in Swat

Separately, K-P Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has directed to work out modalities for the establishment of an agricultural university in Swat on a priority basis to help promote high-value mountain agriculture through innovation in the existing agriculture system. 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 18^th, 2019.