PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Wednesday said that health and education would be the priority sectors of the provincial government for the Annual Development Programme (ADP) of financial year 2020-21.
Chairing a meeting regarding the formulation of ADP for the next financial year held here, the chief minister directed the quarters concerned in both the departments to give timelines for the completion of all the processes starting from the preparation of PC-1s up to the groundbreaking of the new developmental schemes and to ensure the completion of these processes as per the timelines.
The chief minister asked the high-ups of Health Department to take all necessary steps to complete the ongoing development schemes of health sector, especially the construction of hospital buildings as well as to ensure the availability of the required health staff and medical equipment for the under-construction hospitals by the time when these hospitals are ready to be handed over to the health department so that the public could benefit from these projects without any delay.
He also directed the quarters concerned to make a workable plan for the regularization of doctors, teachers and other contract employees of the Ex-Fata.
A handout said the meeting discussed in detail various proposed projects of these sectors to be included in the next ADP.
Besides the provincial ministers concerned and administrative secretaries, the meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadar, CM’s Principal Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, Secretary P&D Humayun Khan and other relevant authorities.
The meeting also reviewed the progress so far made on the completion of the ongoing development schemes of these sectors. Regarding the overall utilisation of funds released under the current ADP, the meeting was informed that so far 78% of the fund has been utilised and efforts are being made to ensure maximum utilization of the released funds by the end of this financial year.The chief minister termed the strengthening of health infrastructure in the merged districts as one of the important priority areas of his government and directed the high-ups of health department to take necessary steps on priority basis for the timely completion of the upgradation and strengthening project of all the District and Tehsil Headquarter Hospitals of the merged areas.
The chair also directed the high-ups of Education Department for devising a feasible plan for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of all the damaged schools in the merged areas and availability of teachers for those schools. He also directed the authorities of education department to prepare a project for the availability of missing facilities in public sector schools in the vicinity of the provincial capital. Mahmood Khan further directed the education department to start second shifts in public sector schools, especially in those areas where land is not available for the upgradation of schools.