PESHAWAR, June 16: The NWFP government has earmarked an all-time record Rs39.462bn for Annual Development Programme (ADP) of next fiscal year, with major focus on completion of ongoing projects.

Finance Minister Shah Raz Khan told the provincial assembly, while unveiling the Rs114.50bn budget for 2007-08 on Saturday, that the next year’s ADP was almost 48 per cent higher than the revised estimates of the outgoing fiscal.

The provincial government will generate Rs21.94 billion from its own resources for the new ADP which is 46 per cent more than the current year’s size. The core provincial development plan carries 955 projects including 720 ongoing and 235 new.

Similarly, a sum of Rs7.975bn, Rs1.204bn, Rs7.931bn and Rs1.02bn has been earmarked for foreign-funded, district ADP, special programmes (covered in federal-PSDP) and social welfare component of the ADP respectively.

About 33.8 per cent of the development budget has been allocated for the social sector including 11.6pc for health, 15.4pc for education, 3.9pc for Tameer-e-Sarhad, 2.9pc for water and sanitation, 12.6pc for roads, 2.2pc for housing, 4.3pc for irrigation, one per cent for agriculture, 0.9pc for forest, 1.7pc for industries and 9.7pc for regional development.

In education sector the government has planned the opening of 200 new primary schools for girls, provision of monthly stipend of Rs200 for girl students and Rs1,000 for teachers, provision of free text books, increasing the literacy ratio from 68pc to 70pc at primary level, 82pc to 86pc in enrolment ratio and establishment of digital laboratories. Total allocation for this sector is Rs4.843bn.

Likewise, establishment of blood transfusion units in seven districts, completion of hospitals in three districts, recruitment of 758 lady health workers and establishment of 22 EPI centres and provision of MRI machines to four major hospitals are the important features of the health sector development plan. Total Rs3.637bn has been allocated for this sector.

An amount of Rs71.472m has been allocated for social welfare and women development, Rs255.526m for tourism and sports, Rs29.760m for Auqaf, Rs3.958bn for roads, Rs160.528m for regional development, Rs910.308m for water supply and sanitation, Rs392.002m for water and power, Rs1.342bn for irrigation, Rs322m for agriculture, Rs538.298m for industries and minerals, Rs292.023m for forest, Rs23.576m for environment, Rs3.053bn for regional development, Rs100m for science and technology and Rs68.984m has been allocated for research and development sector.