PESHAWAR, Aug 21: NWFP Governor Ali Mohammad Jan Aurakzai on Monday attended a presentation regarding extension of the Rural Support Programme to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Chief Secretary Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi, Fata Additional Chief Secretary Mohammad Shahzad Arbab, the Governor’s Secretary Arbab Mohammad Arif and Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) Chairperson Munawar Humayun attended the presentation.

SRSP Chief Executive Officer Massodur Rehman highlighted the performance and achievements of the programme in the province. He said the programme had been initiated with a vision to reduce poverty and ensure sustainable means of livelihood to the target population of mostly the backward areas.

He said the programme was being run in 24 districts of the province, serving nearly 18 million people. He said a unit in the SRSP would extend the services to Fata in collaboration with the Fata secretariat and it would work in wide areas of intervention.

The meeting was of the view that before launching the programme in Fata all its aspects together with prospects of success and sustainability must be explored in view of the peculiar tribal environment.

The governor said the Frontier Regions must also be included in the programme. He said the programme could first be launched in some tribal areas, including the Peshawar Frontier Region.—Online