PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Thursday directed all departments and attached directorates to identify schemes within one month for incorporation in the 10-year development programme for the merged tribal districts formerly known as Fata.

The cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mahmood Khan here approved the Tribal Decade Strategy 2020-30.

Information minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai later told a presser that the cabinet approved the use of Rs10.18 billion from KP’s share in the National Finance Commission Award for the development of merged district.

He said according to the formula, the federal government’s share in NFC Award was Rs54 billion, while Punjab would give Rs38 billion for the development of merged districts.

Cabinet allows its members to use govt copters, CM orders reduction in schoolbag weight

The minister said the cabinet allowed members of the cabinet, including advisers and special assistants, to use the helicopters of the provincial government by approving an amendment to the KP Ministers Salaries, Allowances and Privileges Act, 2019.

“Ministers, advisers or senior government officials can use official helicopters after the approval of the chief minister,” he said.

Mr Yousafzai said the cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding for the preparation of feasibility report to align Peshawar, Nowhere, Mardan and Charsadda’s rail tracks.

He said the project titled as ‘Greater Peshawar Region Mass Transit Circular Rail Project’ would be jointly carried out by the China Railway Construction Company and Pakistan Railway Advisory Consultancy Service (PRACS) and would be completed in 18 months.

The minister said the Chinese company had agreed to prepare feasibility study free of charge.

He said the posts of assistant judges for Malakand division were also approved, who would assist the Judges about Quranic injunctions and Sharia rules in judgments of disputes.

Mr Yousafzai said 15 assistant judges would be appointed in Swat, 16 in Buner, 12 in Shangla and Malakand each, 21 in Lower Dir and 14 in Upper Dir and Chitral districts each.

He said the cabinet also approved appointment of two judges as members of the Labour Appellate Tribunal in light of the directives issued by the Peshawar High Court chief justice.

The minister said the Mines Safety Rules were also approved in the meeting to ensure safety of workers.

Under the rules, in case of any accident, the mine inspector will be responsible for the loss. Similarly all mine workers will be registered with Employees Old Age Benefit Institute (EOBI). The compensation for loss of mine worker in KP has been increased from Rs300,000 to Rs500,000.

The cabinet approved an amendment to the National Disaster Management Act, allowing Relief department to declare calamity hit area in case of any disaster.

The minister said the concerned department had to approach federal government for declaring ‘calamity hit’ area to any disaster affected region. Now the provincial relief department could initiate emergency service by its own, he added.

The cabinet approved the regularisation of services of 250 project and contractual employees in light of the recommendations of the ministerial committee headed by the finance minister.

The chief minister expressed concern about the weight of schoolbags and directed the education department to ensure its reduction for the relief of minor students.

He said private schools would not be allowed to charge summer vacation fee and those doing so would face action.

The CM also expressed reservation about the removal of Khatma-i-Nabut chapter from a Class-IV textbook and ordered the removal of the official, who committed the ‘blunder’.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2019