K-P cabinet approves housing scheme for ‘deserving people’

Meeting also discussed construction of four mega hospitals in Peshawar, Malakand, Mansehra and DI Khan

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Monday gave approval for a housing scheme to allot plots to deserving people of the province.

The cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mahmood Khan was given a detailed briefing on a working plan under which plots would be allotted to less privileged people having a monthly income of less than Rs50,000 per month with a return plan of ten years.

Special Assistant to CM Kamran Bangash told a media briefing that the federal government would give a subsidy of Rs300,000 on each plot.

The cabinet directed housing, revenue and local government departments to start the execution initially in Charsadda district.

Bangash added that a high-level cabinet committee was constituted during the meeting to identify estate land for housing schemes in other districts of the province.

It is pertinent to note that agricultural land cannot be used for this purpose.

Bangash said the government has directed 29 departments to submit their rules and regulations for approval before the provincial cabinet within one month.

Giving details about the decisions, he said that the provincial cabinet gave approval to amendment in KAPRA Act to include lease and disposal of land in the act.

He added that amendments in rules of Small Industries Development Board were also part of the agenda before the cabinet.

On the occasion, the chief minister directed SIDB and K-P Economic Zone Development and Management Company (KPEZDMC) to develop coordination for establishing small economic zones along with medium and large economic zones.

The cabinet deferred the agenda item regarding Medical Relief Endowment Fund for Kidney and Liver transplant as the facilities were already given under Sehat Insaf Card scheme, however it directed the health department to present it in next cabinet meeting after more rationalization.

The meeting also discussed construction of four mega hospitals in Peshawar, Malakand, Manshera and DI Khan with assistance of International Finance Corporation of the World Bank.

The cabinet constituted a committee comprising Finance Minister Taimur Jhagra, Labour Minister Shaukat Yousafzai, Minister for Science and Information Technology Atif Khan and Law Minister Fazal Shakoor Khan to brief the cabinet in next meeting on the project.

It was also decided to hold local government elections in phases as the election commission had already mentioned it difficult to hold elections on such a large scale in one go.

Hence it was decided to hold Neighborhood and Village Council elections of local government in the first phase, followed by Tehsil and City Government elections on non-party basis.

The cabinet also constituted a committee to look into the matters and holding a discussion with election commission in this regard.

Approval was also given to release wheat supply to flour mills by October 1 and one billion rupees were approved for a supplementary grant for schools in earthquake affected areas.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 14^th, 2021.