PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi on Wednesday chaired a meeting to finalise a comprehensive development package for the merged districts.
According to the CM House spokesperson, the Rs1 trillion package, titled “Roshan Qabail” (Bright Tribes), will focus on investment across six thematic areas aimed at ensuring sustainable economic development of the merged districts.
Addressing the meeting, the Chief Minister said the package prioritises infrastructure development, human resource capacity building, and employment generation.
He directed that the establishment of a Tribes Medical College, an Institute of Modern Sciences, and Digital Cities be included in the package.
He also ordered the establishment of District Headquarters (DHQ) and Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) hospitals in areas where such facilities are currently unavailable.
The CM further directed that one sports complex be established in each merged district and a sports ground in every tehsil.
He instructed that markets, as well as entry and exit points of the merged districts, be brought under the Safe City project, and that schools, health facilities, and markets be shifted to solar energy.
He also directed the establishment of orphanages and shelters in every tehsil, along with the setting up of Rescue 1122 stations across all tehsils in the merged districts.
The CM emphasized increasing allocations for health and education, while also enhancing the share for ST&IT, irrigation, social welfare, sports, and energy sectors.
During the briefing, it was shared that the package includes investment in institutional capacity building, improved governance, and effective service delivery. Inter-sectoral reforms for inclusive development and major investments in health and education sectors are key components of the initiative.
According to the briefing, the package provides for the establishment of 1,245 new Primary schools, the upgradation of 463 primary schools and 85 middle schools, and the rehabilitation of 975 primary schools, 240 middle schools, and 125 high schools in the merged districts.
The plan also includes the recruitment of 11,500 teachers and the provision of various scholarships. Rehabilitation and revitalisation of health facilities, along with the establishment of telemedicine centres in District Headquarters hospitals, are also part of the package.
In addition, the package covers the construction of road infrastructure, check dams, irrigation systems, provision of clean drinking water, development of industrial infrastructure, and solarisation of schools, health facilities, and markets.
Initiatives in agriculture and livestock, forestry, sports, youth affairs, local government, relief, and ST&IT sectors have also been included.
