KP to disburse Rs1.15bn Eid Package

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Friday approved the release of Rs1.15 billion in funds as Eid Package for distribution among the 1,15,000 poor individuals of the province at the rate of Rs10,000/ per family.

The beneficiaries will include the families of police martyrs as well who will receive the money from the Police Department, said a handout.

Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur presided over the cabinet meeting which took this and a number of other decisions.

In attendance were ministers, advisers, chief secretary and administrative secretaries.

The cabinet constituted a committee to look into the grievances of the officers of the attached departments after the directives of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) about reducing disparities in the salaries of the officers of attached departments and other cadres.

The committee would comprise advisors to the chief minister on the Finance, minister and secretaries of Planning & Development, Establishment and Population Welfare departments.

The PHC had on a writ petition, filed by over 973 officers of different attached departments, had directed the government to redress the grievances of the petitioners concerning granting them allowances allowed to officers of other cadres @ 1.5 pc of the basic pay in light of article 38(e) of the Constitution and the Principle of policy as provided in Article 29(2) and to remove disparity/discrimination among the civil servants.

The Finance Department opposed the demand on the grounds of resource crunch and financial crises of the province.

The cabinet gave the go-ahead to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right of Digital Way Policy providing a framework to facilitate the deployment of fiber connectivity through the prompt resolution of public and private right-of-way issues commonly faced by telecom operators thereby leading to an increase in fiber connectivity.

A committee comprising ministers, secretaries of Communication and Works, Irrigation and Local Government departments was also constituted to adopt this policy in a unified manner throughout the province.

Another committee was constituted to categorize within 15 days the posts recruitment to which should be done through ETEA or the technical Departments/organizations themselves.

The cabinet directed all provincial departments and organisations to get NOC from ETEA before conducting screening tests for recruitment through private organizations (other than ETEA).

The cabinet approved the Zone Development Agreement for the Pakistan Digital City Haripur Project.

The Pakistan Digital City Haripur is the first purpose-built Special Technology Zones) in Pakistan being developed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board under the administration of the Science and Technology Department, Information Technology Department.

The cabinet approved the “draft rules for the post of PEDO chief executive officer and members of the executive committee (terms and conditions) Rules, 2024;” borrowing loan amounting US$ 30 million from Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) to participate in financing of reconstruction of infrastructure of Malakand region; the retention of 100 BS-17 head nurses in MTI’s Hospitals of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; and purchase of different gadgets and equipment for police in the merged districts.