PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has directed the education department to include the construction of a medical college in Kurram tribal district in the Annual Development Programme 2019-20.

He also ordered the inclusion of the Green Waziristan and Green Bajaur schemes in the forest department’s Billion Tree afforestation project in the next development plan.

In the final consultative meeting on the next ADP, the chief minister asked the relevant authorities to include the construction of Tal-Mirali Road in North Waziristan tribal district and the construction of a hostel in Peshawar for the newly-elected MPAs from tribal districts in the ADP 2019-20.

The meeting was attended by senior minister Atif Khan, finance minister Taimoor Saleem Jhagra, information minister Shaukat Yousafzai, local government minister Shahram Khan Tarakai, forest minister Ishtiaq Urmar, irrigation minister Liaquat Khattak, food minister Qalandar Lodhi, special assistant to the CM on energy and power Himatullah Khan, additional chief secretary Dr Shehzad Bangash, principal secretary to CM Shahab Ali Shah, secretaries of the relevant departmental, and other officials.

Green Waziristan, Green Bajaur schemes to be part of Billion Tree afforestation project

The chief minister directed the departments to adopt effective and result-oriented strategy aimed at maximising utilisation of resources in order to rationalise the expenditure and ensure extended services delivery.

He also directed the relevant departments to spend funds only on the schemes of absolute and paramount importance in terms of providing public services and welfare.

The chief minister was informed in the meeting that the upgradation of 200 basic health units to the comprehensive health units and that of type B hospitals in Bajaur, South Waziristan and Kurram tribal districts to type A hospitals were also part of ADP 2019-20.

The chief minister directed the health department to include the schemes of free provision of medicine and emergency treatment in all hospitals of the province, including those in the newly-merged tribal districts, in the next ADP.

The meeting was informed thatthe surface irrigation schemes, construction of water reservoirs, and solarisation of all irrigation tubewells in tribal districts was included in the ADP 2019-20.

The chief minister asked the forest department to take measures for afforestation on the banks of canals and plantation of pine trees on hill stations throughout the province.

The meeting was briefed regarding the development projects to be undertaken during the next fiscal year, expected throw-forward and rationalisation measures necessary to save up the fiscal space.

The irrigation, C&W, agriculture, wildlife and forests, health, science and information technology, transport, minerals, excise and taxation, and energy and power departments gave detailed presentations on their respective proposed ADPs for the next financial year.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2019