K-P approves Rs66b for uplift projects

PESHAWAR:

The Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) has approved 45 major development projects worth over Rs66 billion across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, covering key sectors including health, transport, population welfare, livestock, agriculture, irrigation, and infrastructure.

The fourth PDWP meeting was chaired by Additional Chief Secretary Planning and Development, Ikramullah Khan, and attended by members of the working party along with senior officials from concerned departments.

Acting on the special directives of Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, the PDWP also approved a Rs1 billion project for the beautification and improvement of Peshawar, the provincial capital. The scheme includes the enhancement of road infrastructure, installation of modern road furniture, upgrading of green belts, and rehabilitation of streetlights to improve the city's overall aesthetic and functional outlook.

The forum approved several projects designed to stimulate economic growth, improve public welfare, and strengthen infrastructure across the province. In the agriculture sector, projects aimed at promoting cultivation on dry lands in southern districts, increasing sunflower production to boost productivity, and expanding the use of agricultural machinery were sanctioned.

In the merged districts, projects to improve livestock productivity through artificial insemination and cross-breeding with high-quality foreign breeds were approved to enhance genetic quality and livestock-based livelihoods.

A large portion of the approved schemes focuses on road infrastructure and connectivity improvements in both settled and merged districts. These include feasibility studies and construction of bypass roads from Kurram Pul to Miranshah via Kot Brara and via Hashni Kala, dualization of Provincial Highway S-8 in Dera Ismail Khan, and improvement of Zafarabad irrigation channel from Dakhan Bypass.