January 19, 2002	Saturday	Ziqa'ad 4, 1422

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PESHAWAR, Jan 18: The NWFP governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has reaffirmed that education, particularly female education, would continue to rank high in the provincial government’s policies.

At a meeting held at Government Girls College, Dargai, Malakand, the governor announced a Rs2 million grant for the college, saying that Rs1 million would be provided by the provincial government and another Rs500,000 would be contributed by the tehsil council.

DCO REPRIMANDED: The NWFP governor reprimanded the Malakand DCO at a meeting of the Nazimeen of Malakand district at the Wapda Rest House in Dargai and directed them to facilitate the working of the district government.

He said that the basic philosophy of the power devolution plan was to involve the people at the grassroots level in the decision-making process.

He said the DCOs must work under the district Nazimeen. The governor also appealed to the Nazimeen and councillors to be sincere to the new system.

IRRIGATION PROJECT: Governor Iftikhar on Thursday launched the Rs17.10 million project for the extension and improvement of Meherdey Minor canal at Sharifabad village near Dargai, Malakand.

The NWFP minister for irrigation Shamsul Mulk, minister for education and information Syed Imtiaz Hussain Gillani, district Nazim Malakand Engineer Mohammad Hamayun Khan, DCO Sajid Khan Jadoon, and a large number of elected representatives attended the ceremony.

Lt-Gen Iftikhar said that the government was committed to boosting the economy through the proper utilization of water resources.

He said that the project for the irrigation of additional 20,000 acres would also be considered.

DEVOLUTION PLAN: The governor called upon the elected representatives to play a positive role in making the power devolution plan a success.

He said the devolution plan was aimed at enabling the people to solve their problems themselves, adding that in order to give weight to the collective cause the present government has discouraged the old system.

The governor said that so far 12 departments, including the police department, had been brought under the district Nazim’s control, observing that now it depended on the Nazimeen and public representatives to ensure peace in their areas.

He said the Nazimeen had been empowered to utilize the grant, with a warning that they should not discriminated in its utilization.