PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet has approved a proposal for the establishment of the Mineral Development and Management Company to “explore, develop, excavate, process and market minerals with an emphasis on mechanised economic excavation.”

During a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur here on Friday, the cabinet hailed the initiative as a “positive step towards responsible mining and international marketing of minerals,” according to an official statement.

The participants included cabinet members, administrative secretaries, and relevant officials.

The cabinet also underscored key initiatives to strengthen the province’s police, enhance revenue from the mineral sector, and improve the execution of development schemes.

CM stresses need for improving revenue generation from mineral sector

Mr Gandapur called for the allocation of additional resources to the police to improve the law and order situation in the province.

He also said there was a need for improving revenue generation from the mineral sector with the help of better facilities.

The cabinet also approved a draft bill to amend Section 116-A of the Motor Vehicle Ordinance, 1965, for allocating 15 per cent of the 25 per cent share of traffic fines, previously specified for traffic education, awareness, and equipment purchases, for those purposes and the rest for the Police Welfare Fund.

It also green-lit a proposal for the excise, taxation, and narcotics control department to partner with the provincial IT board to introduce an online payment system and integrate the motor vehicle registration system with a one per cent service charge for a period of one year.

The cabinet also approved a summary for clearance of compensation cases with respect to property losses of Upper South Waziristan residents at the cost of Rs1.5 billion.

The approval came as a non-ADP scheme to be funded by the federal government.

The cabinet also discussed a requisition for 500 troops as “ex-post facto sanction” and a requisition for 200 new troops for the security of foreign nationals working on development projects in Hazara Division.

Section 131-A of Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 read with Article 245 of the Constitution declares, “If the provincial government is satisfied that assistance of armed forces is required for the public security, protection of citizen and property, public peace and maintenance of law and order may request federal government to direct any officer of the armed forces to render such assistance.”

The home and tribal affairs department placed a summary for allowing the inclusion of calcium ammonium nitrate and potassium chlorate in the definition of explosives. The cabinet approved the summary.

It also gave approval to a summary for the implementation plan for the proposed energy conservation measures as well as the agriculture department’s proposal to reconstitute the Pakistan Tobacco Board.

As the tenure of the board expired on January 23, 2014, the Ministry of National Food Security and Research requested the provincial government to nominate three progressive tobacco growers to be notified as the board members for the next term in office.

The cabinet approved Dr Shabana Haider as the board chairperson and Hasnain Khurshid Ahmad, Mohammad Yahya, Anam Saeed and Dr Sobia Sabir Ali as its members.

It also accorded approval to a summary for the up-gradation of teachers of special education institutions and welfare homes from BSP-17 to BPS-18 in light of a judgement of the Peshawar High Court.

The cabinet also approved a proposal for the award of BPS-17 to 32 teachers working in institutes for the people with disabilities from the date they obtained degrees.

It allowed the purchase of four vehicles for the high court judges and Rs39.73 million supplementary grant for it.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2024