Sehat Card gets legal cover in K-P

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government has granted legal cover to Sehat Card Program after necessary amendments to the law while it has also approved establishment of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Protection Council.

The cabinet in its 70th meeting held here Wednesday with Chief Minister Mahmood Khan in the chair approved necessary amendments in the law to provide legal cover to the Sehat Card Program. The amendments are aimed at running the program on permanent basis and to provide health-care facilities to the masses at their doorsteps.

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.

Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Information Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif while briefing media persons about the decisions of the cabinet meeting informed that the cabinet approved a grant of Rs1.9 billion for six public sector universities in the province.

However, an additional grant of Rs5 million each was approved for Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan and University of Peshawar for maintaining better financial discipline and showing good performance.

The cabinet, he said, also approved procedures and rules for the provision of funds for the hospitals being run under the public-private partnership.

He maintained that the cabinet also approved giving representation to youth and legal expert in the Charity Commission.

The cabinet, he further said, okayed the transfer of six kanal state land to the K-P Forestry, Environment & Wildlife Department for the construction of offices and residences for divisional forest officers, wildlife and range officer in North Waziristan tribal district under the AIP scheme ‘Merged Areas Integrated Development Forestry Sector Project (Wildlife component)’ to protect, conserve and manage wildlife there.

The land, which has been identified for the purpose, was in possession of the district administration North Waziristan and the concerned authority has already issued NOC.

Barrister Saif shared that the cabinet approved the establishment of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Protection Council under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Act, 2014 to oversee the implementation of the environmental laws, approval of the environment related policies and environment standards etc.

The council will be headed by the chief minister or any other person nominated by him while minister for environment to be the vice chairperson with chief secretary, additional chief secretary and secretaries environment, finance, law, irrigation, C&W, transport, health, energy and power, local government, industries, tourism and public health engineering departments as its official members with maximum 10 other members from various walks of life as per provision in the act.

The cabinet also sanctioned the transfer of four kanal state land in the name of Emergency Rescue Services Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at Mouza Daman, Tehsil Pabbi, Nowshera district to establish a Rescue 1122 station.

The transfer of the land will contribute towards commissioning of the Rescue 1122 services for facilitating the masses and better management of the rescue resources in case of any disaster or emergency at the tehsil level.

The cabinet also approved the extension of cost sharing agreement for single sourcing with UNDP for the establishment of additional camping villages in various remote tourists’ valleys of the province under the revised ADP scheme. Similarly, the cabinet also granted approval to the declaration of command area of Pehur High Level Canal Extension Project, Swabi as required by the government for public purpose, he said.

Barrister Saif further said that the cabinet accorded approval to the appointment of Zeenat Bibi, MPA as an official member of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of Women (K-PCSW) for the remaining period as recommended by the speaker of the assembly on the request of the chairperson K-PCSW.

He further informed that the cabinet approved the transfer of as many as 10 kanal of state land to K-P Social Welfare, Special Education & Women Empowerment Department for the establishment of a school and hostel for orphan children in Charbagh, Swat.

The meeting also approved the reorganization of the existing two sub-divisions and the creation of a new sub-division in Bajaur.

The existing sub-division Khar will comprise of Tehsil Khar and Tehsil Barang while sub-division Nawagai will include Tehsil Loi Mamund, Tehsil Wara Mamund and Tehsil Nawagai. Similarly, the newly created sub-division Utman Salarzai will include Tehsil Salarzai and Tehsil Utmankhel.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 28^th, 2022.