Enterprising excavation: Govt allocates Rs500m for mining

Government has collected receipts of Rs1 billion that stood only at Rs600 million three years ago.

PESHAWAR: The government has allocated Rs500 million for infrastructure development in the mining and mineral sectors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to Mineral Development Provincial Minister Mehmood Zaib Khan. Addressing at the “Mineral resources in FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa” conference held at Peshawar University, the minister stated that despite unfavourable conditions in the province, the government is giving special attention to the mineral sector and has collected receipts of Rs1 billion that stood only at Rs600 million three years ago. He emphasised on encouraging the private sector to strengthen the economy and generate employment opportunities. He said that government is also focusing on hydel projects as 50,000MW of electricity can be produced only by Malakand division.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2012.