PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Tuesday approved the establishment of an endowment fund for the transgender community and allocated Rs100 million for the purpose.
Through this fund, the members of the transgender community will be provided interest-free loans to start small businesses. The government officials will be trained to facilitate the members of the transgender community in various fields.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, who chaired the meeting, directed the Finance Department to frame rules for the endowment fund. The KP cabinet also approved legislation of the Food Fortification Act 2021 to ensure the presence of major vitamins in indigenous and imported food items.
The Halal Food Authority will be empowered through the passage of the act to impose penalties, conduct inspection and registration of manufacturers to ensure the availability of quality food.
The cabinet also okayed the Journalists Welfare Endowment Fund Rules 2021 whereby Rs1 million will be provided to the family of journalists martyred during acts of terrorism. The disabled journalist will be given a one-time grant of Rs0.2 million. A marriage grant is also part of the package for the son/daughter of the journalist to the tune of Rs0.2 million. The journalists with 30-year experience will be given a Rs10,000 monthly stipend after attaining the age of 60 years. Journalists dismissed from newspaper/television channels and remaining jobless for three co secutive months will be given a one-time stipend of Rs10,000 for two months.