K-P gives voice to voiceless

Cabinet approves animal welfare act; CM orders accelerated development

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) cabinet has approved the Animal Welfare Act 2024, and the legislation will be placed before the provincial assembly. The law aims to put an end to the practice of inflicting unnecessary pain on animals, and set the standard to ensuring that the voiceless are handled in a humane manner.

It also hopes to improve the ways in which animals are transported and treated, in general.

Chairing the 11th meeting of the current provincial cabinet, K-P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also ordered his ministers to pay special attention to the merged districts of the province, urging weekly visits and the monitoring of development projects.

The meeting was held at the Civil Secretariat, and attended by ministers, advisors, special assistants, a senior member of the Board of Revenue, additional chief secretaries and administrative secretaries.

The K-P CM instructed his departments, particularly education and health, to prioritise strengthening human resource deployment in the merged districts. He said to ensure that the placement of personnel strictly adheres to a domicile-centric policy.

The provincial cabinet approved the K-P Livestock and Poultry Production Act 2024, thus allowing its placement before the provincial assembly. With the promulgation of the act, the Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperative Department will be able to register and regulate production activities in the province.

The provincial cabinet similarly approved the K-P Livestock Breeding Services Act 2024. The law aimed to improve the breeds of livestock and raise the bar when it came to control, marketing and quality assurance of livestock in the province.

In a bid to reflect its progressive stance, the provincial cabinet has approved a set of forward-looking recommendations to be included in the position paper for the upcoming National Finance Commission (NFC) award. Among these recommendations is the demand for the establishment of a 10-year grant, termed the Pakistan Building Grant, sourced from the Federal Divisible Pool.

This grant hopes to meet the significant financial needs and development deficits that have accumulated since the 7th NFC award. Additionally, the cabinet has called for an interim adjustment to bring the 7th NFC Award into compliance with the Constitution of Pakistan, recommending that K-P’s share in the new award be recalculated to include the population and area of the newly merged districts within the province.

The provincial cabinet approved the forwarding of Resolution No18, adopted by the provincial assembly, to the Federal Government. The resolution, introduced by MPA Muhammad Abdul Salam, denounces the ordinance related to appointing retired judges to the election tribunal as a "black law". It demands that the federal government withdraw the same.

The resolution also states that the appointment of retired judges to the election tribunal is tantamount to undermining justice and democracy, and it has brought disrepute to the country on an international stage.

The provincial cabinet has approved a grant-in-aid of Rs326.40 million for the Drug Free Peshawar Programme Phase-III and Rs 23.10 million for the Beggars-Free Peshawar Programme. Such initiatives have been launched with the objective of eliminating drug addiction and begging from the streets of the provincial capital.

The department plans to rehabilitate 2,000 drug addicts in Phase-III of the Drug Free Peshawar Programme. During the deliberations, the CM directed the social welfare department to offer free services to families who wish to rehabilitate a drug-addicted family member, but cannot afford the treatment.

The provincial cabinet has accorded approval for the cost enhancement from Rs87.700 million to RsRs152.00 million for the ADP scheme of repair and rehabilitation of Mahabat Khan Mosque Peshawar. The project is aimed at preserving and restoring the historical mosque to its original grandeur. Besides, conservation of the structure, restoration of the fountain pond, water supply, CCTV System, sound system, illumination work, renovation of ablution area and provision of motorised sun shades are part of the project.

As per the policy of devolving the financial and administrative powers to divisional headquarters for speedy development, the cabinet has approved the establishment of a Regional Development Committee, to be led by the respective divisional commissioner.