PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has prepared a road map for better governance, improved security and smart development in the province.

The 381-page road map, a copy of which is available with Dawn, said the strategy focused on three priority areas of good governance, better security and smart development.

The plan called for transparent and citizen-focused services under better governance and stressed the “whole of the system approach, capacity building of police and winning over people against terrorism under stronger security.”

It also advocated optimised development fund spending and investment to ensure smarter development.

Advocates optimised fund utilisation, investment, timely completion of mega projects

The document said that the road map would drive delivery by serving five core functions, including providing a single, unified framework for all reform initiatives, helping departments stay focused amid day-to-day firefighting ensuring clear action plans for regular reviews by chief minister, chief secretary, ministers and secretaries, enabling real-time progress tracking via a traffic light-based dashboard and linking performance incentives to milestone achievement.

It outlined those sectors with clear and tangible targets to be achieved over the next two years, setting the foundation for a unified framework that will guide all reform initiatives and improve public service delivery, institutional performance and governance models in line with public expectations.

Under the plan, this newly-launched road map will consolidate and streamline all government efforts to improve service delivery across the sectors.

The road map also outlined 12 additional sub-sectors where governance will be strengthened.

They included health, education, urban and rural development, the economy, social protection, public-private partnerships, ease of doing business, economic growth, a robust legal framework, digital service delivery, governance calendar, merit-based recruitment and employment opportunities in underdeveloped regions.

In order to reinforce the security apparatus, the road map included the implementation of the Provincial Action Plan.

For smarter development, it emphasised the timely completion of mega projects, priority-based funding for public welfare initiatives and promoting investment.

Over the next two years, the government aims to upgrade 250 basic health units and rural health centres, ensure 24/7 maternal health services at the primary level, supply more than 100 hospitals with essential medical equipment and medicines, and ensure polio vaccination access to every child in the southern districts.

In the education sector, the number of out-of-school children will be reduced by 50pc, and 1,500 under-performing schools will be outsourced.

In terms of social protection, 10,000 special persons will receive stipends and assistance devices, and a digital welfare registry will be launched for better organisation of welfare efforts, according to the road map.

It included the completion of three new economic zones and the upgrading of 32 technical training institutes.

Under it, a 751-acre dairy farm will be established under a public-private partnership in the livestock sector, alongside the breeding of 10 million fish annually.

Thousands of high-quality fruit orchards will be planted, and grafting of two million wild olive trees will be carried out in the agriculture sector.

Work will commence on the Dera Ismail Khan-Peshawar Motorway, while the Peshawar New General Bus Stand project will be completed.

In the minerals sector, four mineral zones will be created to support small-scale mining operations, and in housing, 14,000 residential plots will be developed in the New Peshawar Valley.

In the energy sector, 130,000 low-income households will be shifted to solar energy. The tourism sector will see the development of more than 50 new tourist destinations and the launch of a homestay programme in seven tourist districts, along with ensuring the provision of basic facilities at tourist sites.

Digitisation efforts will include offering more than 100 services online through the Dastak Portal and expanding digital systems across all government departments.

Institutional reforms will involve restructuring of human resource policies across departments and the implementation of performance dashboards to ensure a merit-based system of rewards and accountability.

According to the road map, to support the achievement of these goals, all government departments have prepared individual action plans. A comprehensive and effective monitoring system has been established to oversee the implementation of the road map.

The chief secretary’s office will directly supervise institutional reforms and administrative performance, while the Performance Management and Reforms Units will conduct continuous reviews using dashboards, geo-tagged evidence and artificial intelligence tools.

Also, quarterly review meetings will be held at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat to assess progress and promptly address any challenges or obstacles.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2025