KP caretaker cabinet approves key initiatives

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: A meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa caretaker Cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Justice (R) Syed Arshad Hussain Shah was held at the Civil Secretariat her on Thursday.

The meeting was attended by caretaker cabinet members, Chief Secretary, and the Additional Chief Secretary Interior, related administrative secretaries, and other pertinent officials. The meeting commenced with the recitation of Fatiha for the late Muhammad Azam Khan, former Caretaker Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In a significant move, the caretaker cabinet approved the extension of the monthly stipend program for female students in classes VI to XII within the newly merged districts, extending support until the year 2025. The initiative aims at providing scholarships to 32,833, 37,758, and 43,422 female students in the years 2023, 2024, and 2025, respectively, with a total estimated project cost of 940.5 million rupees.

Furthermore, the cabinet endorsed the proposal to link scholarship disbursement with student performance and examination results, requiring a minimum attendance of 70%. Additionally, approval was granted for allocating 2 kanal of land in Tehsil Jamrud, Khyber District for building offices and residential structures of Federal Government Institutions.

In a move toward social welfare, the cabinet sanctioned the establishment of a welfare fund for prisoners and prison employees, with a focus on skill development.

Under this initiative, 30% of the income generated from products made in jails will be allocated to inmates. enabling them to acquire skills and achieve financial independence upon release.

The fund, established from prisoners’ and prison employees’ contributions, incurs no cost to the government. The cabinet also greenlit the nomination of representatives from Peshawar, Mardan, and D. I. Khan districts to represent farmers on the Cane and Sugar Beet Control Board. Similarly, names for the Board of Directors of Water and Sanitation Services Company Peshawar approved.

Additionally, post-facto approval was granted to the Department of Auqaf, Religious Affairs, and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority for emergency aid provided to the victims of the Jaranwala incident in September 2023.

The cabinet also honored the memory of officer Uzair Afsar of the Pakistan Army by renaming Government Higher Secondary School Pind Hashim Khan District Haripur to Shaheed Uzair Afsar Government Higher Secondary School.

Acknowledging the evolving administrative landscape, the provincial cabinet approved the creation of District Education Officer positions for both male and female in the newly established district of Lower South Waziristan.