PESHAWAR, Feb 10: The newly-constituted Fata Development Authority (FDA) will execute 50 development schemes in mineral, industrial, technical education and water sectors during the year 2007-08 at a cost of Rs1 billion.

This was stated by FDA Chief Executive Mohammad Shahzad Arbab during a meeting held here at the Governor’s House on Saturday to brief Governor Lt-Gen (retd) Ali Mohammed Jan Aurakzai about the functioning of the FDA.

The meeting was attended by Adviser to Prime Minister on Fata Sahibzada Imtiaz Ahmad, Additional Chief Secretary Fata Javed Iqbal and senior officials of the Fata Civil Secretariat and FDA.

The FDA chief executive briefed the meeting about the formation of the authority, its functions, work parameters, implementation plan and vision for the next year.

He said the authority would asses the potential for economic development of Fata and prepare surveys and feasibility reports regarding development projects.

“The authority will also prepare and execute development programmes, projects and schemes relating to trade and industry, industrial infrastructure and estates, exploitation of mineral resources, utilisation of water and power resources and skill development,” he said.

The participants were informed that a steering committee, headed by the governor, and a board of directors, headed by the chief executive of the authority, would take the key decisions.

The steering committee would have co-opted members, not exceeding three, from the private sector and civil society whereas the board of directors would have four private members to be appointed by the governor.

Of the 50 development schemes scheduled to be taken up during the year 2007-08, four could be launched immediately. They include establishment of a marble city in Mohmand Agency, exploration and development of copper in North Waziristan and six small dams projects in South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Khyber, Bajaur and Orakzai agencies.

The meeting was also informed that the authority had chalked out a strategy for skill development of Fata youth aimed at creating a trained resource pool for local and national industrial and services sector.

In the first phase, 300 youth from Fata would be sent to training institutions all over the country and all the expenses thereon would be borne by the authority, said Mr Arbab, adding that a comprehensive skill development plan, identifying the streams, number of candidates, and the institutions where the training would be imparted by the mid of next month, had been prepared.

The governor appreciated the work plan and implementation strategy of the authority. He hoped that the authority would work on the fast-track basis to achieve its objectives. He also stressed the need for an effective monitoring mechanism.

The governor said that massive activities in industrial and mineral sectors would provide enormous economic opportunities to the people of Fata and help alleviate poverty, remove backwardness and create economic stakes in respective areas.

The meeting was also briefed on the plan for construction of a permanent building for FDA in Hayatabad.—PPI