Schoolgirl stipend extended in NMDs

The caretaker cabinet of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has granted approval for the extension of the monthly stipend program benefiting female students in classes VI to XII in the recently merged tribal districts. This critical support initiative is now set to continue until the year 2025.

The primary objective is to provide scholarships to a substantial number of female students, with 32,833, 37,758, and 43,422 recipients anticipated in the years 2023, 2024, and 2025, respectively. The estimated project cost totals Rs940.5 million.

Chaired by Chief Minister Justice (retd) Syed Arshad Hussain Shah, a meeting of the caretaker cabinet took place at the Civil Secretariat in Peshawar on Thursday. Attendees included cabinet members, the chief secretary, additional chief secretary interior, relevant administrative secretaries, and other officials.

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The session commenced with the recitation of Fatiha in memory of the late Muhammad Azam Khan, the former caretaker chief minister. In a strategic move to enhance the scholarship program, the cabinet endorsed a proposal linking stipend disbursement with student performance and examination results.

This necessitates a minimum attendance of 70 per cent. Additionally, the cabinet approved the allocation of two kanals of land in Tehsil Jamrud, Khyber District, for constructing offices and residential structures for federal government institutions. In a commendable step toward social welfare, the cabinet sanctioned the establishment of a welfare fund for prisoners and prison employees, emphasizing skill development.

Under this initiative, 30 per cent of income generated from products manufactured in jails will be allocated to inmates, enabling them to acquire skills for financial independence upon release. Importantly, this fund, funded by prisoners and prison employees, incurs no cost to the government.

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Furthermore, the cabinet endorsed the nomination of representatives from Peshawar, Mardan, and DI Khan districts to represent farmers on the Cane and Sugar Beet Control Board. Names for the Board of Directors of Water and Sanitation Services Company Peshawar were also approved. In a gesture of posthumous recognition, the cabinet granted approval for renaming Government Higher Secondary School Pind Hashim Khan District Haripur to Shaheed Uzair Afsar Government Higher Secondary School, in honor of the late officer Uzair Afsar of the army.

Recognizing the evolving administrative landscape, the provincial cabinet approved the creation of district education officer positions for both male and female in the newly established district of Lower South Waziristan. This significant meeting marked the first for Chief Minister Syed Arshad Hussain Shah after assuming office following the untimely demise of former Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan.