PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet has approved the procurement of wheat for the current year at the rates fixed by the federal, Punjab, and Balochistan governments.

Under the plans okayed by the cabinet in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur here on Tuesday, 600,000 metric tons of wheat will be procured at the rate of Rs3,900 for 40kg.

The cabinet directed authorities to ensure the quality and quantity of wheat and the transparency of its procurement, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday.

It added that the cabinet, in order to protect the interests of the local growers, approved a “comprehensive work plan and standard operating procedure starting from the district to the divisional and provincial levels.”

Cabinet also grants conditional nod to establishment of industrial regulatory body

The cabinet granted “conditional” approval to the proposed establishment of the National Industrial Development and Regulatory Authority (NIDRA) as required under the Constitution to enable the federal government to unify all entities like economic zones, special economic zones (SEZs), tax free zones, integrated tourism zones (ITZs), special technology zones (STZs) and expert processing zones (EPZs).

The unification was proposed by a working group set up by the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) for SEZs and headed by the chairman of the Privatisation Commission.

After approval, the NIDRA will, under the executive and legislative authority, assume all roles to the extent of zones required to establish, regulate, develop, operate, and manage them under the NIDRA law, according to the official statement.

It added that all the roles of the federal entities would be shifted to the NIDRA.

“Though almost all the above entities were originally established under federal legislation, the present approval was given with the condition that the incentives extended under the SEZ, EPZ and STZA should be brought under the umbrella of a single organisation to facilitate investors.”

The statement added that operations, management, administrative control of the zones, and industrial estate should remain with the provinces for better facilitation of investors.

The cabinet also approved the rehabilitation and restoration of the 17 megawatt Ranolia hydropower project in Lower Kohistan at a cost of Rs8.1 billion.

It was already okayed by the provincial development working party with the condition that it would be processed for the approval of the provincial cabinet for inclusion as a non-ADP scheme.

The cabinet approved it as a non-ADP scheme with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank. It also approved the acquisition of 327 kanals of land for 88MW Gabral Kalam hydropower projects financed by the World Bank in Swat district.

The provision of the revision already exists in the project’s approved PC-I, according to the statement.

It added that the project, after commissioning, was expected to generate over Rs7.4 billion annually.

The cabinet also approved the additional compensation in respect of land and built-up property based on an independent valuation study for executing the 300MW Balakot hydropower project on the Kunhar River in Mansehra district.

It also granted approval for the shift from manual registration books to automated motor vehicle registration smart cards. The excise and taxation department has already signed a memorandum of understanding with the federal government’s National Security Printing Company for the provision of registration certificates and the supply of smart cards.

The cabinet okayed the utilisation the defunct Federal Administered Tribal Areas Development Authority’s funds of Rs500 million and Rs43 million accumulated markup over it under the accelerated implementation program in the merged tribal districts.

Small enterprises will be micro-financed on an interest-free basis (Akhuwat Islamic Microfinance) from this revolving fund in tribal districts, read the statement.

The cabinet approved the acquisition of over 34 kanals of land for the construction of the Judicial Complex in Panah Kotin area of Upper Dir district and the enactment of the KP Registration of Godown Rules, 2022, as required by the KP Godown Registration Act, 2021.

The law provides for the registration and regulation of godowns, ensuring a comprehensive system regarding the stable supply and availability of goods and matters connected therewith.

The cabinet also approved free education for talented grade 7-12 students of government schools in “quality” educational institutions in the province.

As proposed by the chief minister, the cabinet decided to double both the amount of monthly scholarships and the number of such talented yet poor beneficiary students of the scheme from the next academic year, according to the official statement.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2024