PDWP approves uplift projects for KP

PESHAWAR: The Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) on Friday approved a series of development projects to improve infrastructure, education, health, and social welfare across the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

An official handout said the approval was granted at the ninth meeting of the PDWP. Ikramullah Khan, Additional Chief Secretary of the Planning and Development Department, chaired the meeting.

The meeting approved the flagship initiative Ehsaas Hunar Programme, a Rs3 billion project designed to provide interest-free loans of up to Rs500,000 to skilled youth for starting businesses.

This programme is aimed at benefiting over 35,000 skilled workers across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to boost employment and economic growth.The PDWP also approved a Rs2.9 billion project for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of a 26-kilometre road from Arandu to Kalkatak Lowari in Chitral, which will enhance connectivity and ease transportation in the region.

Other significant approvals included the improvement of flood protection structures in Swat and adjacent rivers, rehabilitation of CRBC and Paharpur Canal System in Dera Ismail Khan, and feasibility studies for solar lift irrigation schemes across the province.

The forum also approved the Establishment of a Government College of Commerce in Duggar, Buner; the reconstruction of the Agriculture Research Institute (ARI) in Mingora, Swat; upgrading Hayasrai Primary Health Center to a Category-D Hospital in Lower Dir; and the construction of a Thalassemia Department at District Headquarters Hospital, Batkhela.

The meeting also approved the construction and rehabilitation of roads in South Waziristan, Tank, Batkhela, and Upper Chitral; the purchase of land for cemeteries; and the construction of model religious schools and computer labs in registered religious schools.

The PDWP also approved projects to enhance governance and research capacity, including the establishment of a Chief Minister’s Policy Office, a Sector Reforms Unit in the Public Health Engineering Department, and a Monitoring and Evaluation System for development projects.