PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday said his government was working on a Rs1 trillion development initiative, titled Roshan Qabail, aimed at the socio-economic uplift of the merged tribal districts.
He made the remarks while chairing a meeting to finalise the framework of the proposed package, according to an official statement. Participants reviewed the overall structure of the initiative and identified priority sectors to ensure sustainable development in the formerly tribal areas.
Officials briefed the meeting that the Roshan Qabail package would involve major investments across six thematic areas, with a total outlay of Rs1 trillion. The chief minister said the initiative would focus on improving infrastructure, developing human resources and creating employment opportunities to bring the merged districts on par with other developed regions of the province.
Mr Afridi directed that key projects, including the establishment of a Tribal Medical College, an Institute of Modern Sciences and Safe City projects, be incorporated into the package. He also instructed that district and tehsil headquarters hospitals be established in areas currently lacking such healthcare facilities.
Emphasising youth development, the chief minister said a modern sports complex should be built in each merged district, along with sports grounds at the tehsil level, to provide healthy recreational opportunities. He further directed that markets, as well as internal and external entry routes of the merged districts, be included in the Safe City Project.
The meeting was told that schools, health facilities and markets would be shifted to solar energy under the proposed plan. Mr Afridi also ordered that a Rescue 1122 station, orphanages and shelter homes be included in the development blueprint for every tehsil across the merged districts.
Stressing the importance of social sectors, the chief minister said sustainable development was not possible without substantial investment in health and education. He ordered an increase in allocations for education and healthcare, along with enhanced funding for science and technology, information technology, irrigation, social welfare, sports and energy sectors.
Officials informed the meeting that special investments would be made to strengthen institutional capacity, improve governance and ensure effective service delivery. Cross-sectoral reforms were also planned to promote inclusive development, with particular emphasis on health and education.
Under the proposed package, 1,245 new primary schools would be established, while 463 primary schools and 85 middle schools would be upgraded. In addition, 975 primary schools, 240 middle schools and 125 high schools would be rehabilitated. Plans also include the recruitment of 11,500 teachers and the provision of educational scholarships.
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In the health sector, rehabilitation and functionalisation of existing facilities were proposed, along with the establishment of telemedicine centres in district headquarters hospitals. The package also covers construction of road infrastructure, development of check dams and irrigation systems, provision of clean drinking water, industrial infrastructure development and solarisation of public facilities.
The chief minister said that under the package, the special focus would be placed on improving infrastructure, developing human resources, and creating employment opportunities.https://t.co/B6TXvnApZC
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Officials added that initiatives in agriculture, livestock, forestry, sports, youth affairs, local government and science and technology sectors were also part of the proposed Roshan Qabail development package.
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