PESHAWAR, Dec 23: The federal government will provide Rs16.1 billion to the NWFP for agriculture, water, health and education projects as its share in the national development strategy for the next year. Planning Commission Chairman Akram Sheikh, during a meeting with Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani here on Friday, said that the federal government would provide resources to the provincial government for construction water storage facilities. The facilities could be used for power generation and irrigating lands.

The allocation would strengthen the provincial education sector and improve the health care delivery system, Mr Sheikh said.

The meeting, which was attended by the federal and additional secretaries of Planning Commission, NWFP chief secretary Ejaz Ahmed Qureshi and administrative secretaries, focussed on the NWFP government’s priorities in various sectors.

The meeting also took a number of decisions for early completion of federally-funded projects in the province, said an official handout.

It was decided that the projects should be evaluated, monitored and supervised by the chief minister, chief secretary and additional chief secretary. The Planning Commission and the federal government departments should have a reduced role to ensure smooth system.

The Planning Commission was providing funding for 149 projects, including eight big projects, in the NWFP, the meeting was informed, adding that the commission would support the projects to meet the growing needs of electricity and irrigation.

The Planning Commission would also compensate the province for the salinity and water logging problems caused by the construction of Ghazi Barotha project.

Mr Sheikh also agreed with the ten-year plan for water storage in various parts of the province. He proposed to carry out a detailed feasibility to identify maximum sites for water storage for irrigation and electricity generation.

The commission would settle the Gomal Zam dam issue soon and would step in for the construction of Baran dam and Tochi Baran link and asked for a report in this regard.

The meeting was informed that the federal government would support lift and gravity water extension for irrigation purposes in the NWFP province.

The commission would also support the construction of two rooms each in 448 BHUs under the Rs2.223 billion five-year population welfare project in the province.