PESHAWAR, April 8: The NWFP Chief Minister, Akram Khan Durrani, has said that the provincial government is preparing a package for farmers to boost agriculture sector.
He announced a committee comprising NWFP chief secretary, secretary irrigation, president of Anjuman-i-Kashtkaran provincial president of Anjuman-i-Kashtkaran, MPA Iftikhar Jhagra and secretary agriculture to finalize the package.
Mr Durrani announced this while talking to a 30-member delegation of Anjuman-i-Kashtkaran at Chief Minister’s Secretariat on Friday morning. Provincial Minister for Agriculture Qari Mehmood, MPAs Tajul Amin and Israrul Haq were also present on the occasion.
Mr Durrani asked to notify a committee immediately and directed the committee members to submit a comprehensive report before the coming budget for the announcement of an appropriate package for farmers.
The government wanted to overhaul agriculture sector and remove weaknesses in the system, he said. His government wanted to streamline the taxation system for reducing the tax burden on those who cannot pay and shifting it to those who can pay that would be a just approach, he added.
He said that most of the community tubewells had not been operational because of certain reasons including poverty, lack of mechanism and non-responsibility of all stakeholders.
His government, he assured would make a decision within a week or so that would be in the interest of the community because presently the people were getting polluted drinking water responsible for various sort of diseases major within that is Hepatitis B & C. He urged to hold seminars to aware people about hepatitis.
Mr Durrani said that the people voted MMA to power with a hope to bring a positive change in the society. His government first ensured accessibility and evolved a uniform policy for the public welfare.
He said that boost of agriculture and industrial sectors can guarantee poverty alleviation. His government would wish to provide every thing to the farmers but unfortunately the previous governments had agreements with debtors and donors for taxing various sectors.
These taxes somehow have dried the blood of the poor segments of the society. He assured to rectify the situation through well- planned systematic approach because the interest of the general public should stay supreme, he maintained.
The chief minister said that the provincial share in the net hydel power was Rs18 billion annually though his government agreed to Rs2 billion rise from Rs6 billion to Rs8 billion and mediation to determine the actual share of the province on net hydel power.