PESHAWAR: The authorities have decided to initiate multiple projects in various sectors for economic revival, creation of employment opportunities and poverty alleviation under foreign-funded programme.

In this connection, a meeting was held here on Monday with Chief Minister Mahmood Khan in the chair to review progress on foreign-funded development projects. The meeting also discussed new projects to be initiated in next two years under the programme.

CM orders timely completion of projects

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Umar Ayub, provincial ministers Shaukat Yousafzai, Taimur Saleem Jhagra, Akbar Ayub and Riaz Khan besides high ranking officials of federal and provincial governments attended the meeting.

The meeting was told that a total of 23 development projects in different sectors were in progress in the province with estimated cost of $2.6 billion.

These schemes include hydropower and renewable energy, Fata infrastructure project, education sector programme, reconstruction Programme, Khyber Pass economic corridor, integrated tourism project, social health protection and others.

The meeting was informed that a total 0f 27 projects in various sectors worth $2.451 billion were in the pipeline. These schemes include Balakot hydro power development, Kurram Tangi water resources project, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cities improvement project, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa rural roads development project, Mohmand hydropower project, rural economic transformation project and others.

The meeting was told that in the next two years, construction of 5,000-kilomere farm to market roads, strengthening of irrigation system and construction of irrigation channels projects would be launched.

The participants of the meeting were informed that cold storage would be set up for preservation of fruits and vegetables. The meeting decided that soft loans would be provided to small business owners to create maximum job opportunities and alleviate poverty in the province.

Moreover, several projects of drinking water supply would be launched to provide clean drinking water to both urban and rural localities of the province. The provincial government would identify development projects in those sectors and share the same with economic affairs division for onward processing.

The meeting decided to focus on construction of hydropower schemes and promotion of tourism in tribal districts while a major project would be launched to improve transmission and distribution of power system in the merged areas.

The meeting was told that cities improvement project would be initiated to ensure provision of civic facilities to the most populous districts of the province. It was decided that a monthly review meeting would be held of provincial departments and federal entities concerned to ensure progress on the proposed projects.

It was also decided to hold a donors conference regarding the foreign-funded projects by the end of this month. The meeting was told that progress on implementation of foreign-funded projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was better than other provinces.

The chief minister directed the authorities concerned to focus on backward areas of the province along with newly merged districts under the foreign-funded programme.

He also asked the federal and provincial authorities concerned to take necessary steps to ensure timely completion of all ongoing projects and remove the bottlenecks hindering progress on the completion of foreign-funded schemes.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2021