Gandapur says KP determined to work for country’s economic uplift

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Wednesday said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was moving forward with Uraan Pakistan as his government was committed to working for the development of the country.

“Despite political differences, we are determined to achieve Pakistan’s economic development, and these differences will not stop our government from working for the stability and economic progress of Pakistan,” he said.

He was speaking at the provincial consultative workshop on the National Economic Transformation Plan 29-2025 (Uraan Pakistan) at the Chief Minister’s House.The chief minister was the chief guest at the workshop, which was attended by Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister Amir Muqam, provincial cabinet members, parliamentarians, and senior officials from both provincial and federal governments.

The Uraan Pakistan programme focuses on five key sectors for the country’s sustainable economic development - exports, equity, E-Pakistan, energy & infrastructure and environment & climate change.

The chief minister stressed that the establishment of law and order was most essential, as it formed the foundation of development. He said the provincial government was working towards sustainable development through fiscal discipline, infrastructure development, energy efficiency, and social equality, with special focus on investing in sectors that have the potential for sustainable growth.

In the first six months of the current financial year, a budget surplus of Rs169 billion was achieved, and a debt management fund of Rs70 billion had been established. He mentioned that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had successfully met the IMF target and that investments were being made in productive sectors. Significant progress has been made, aligned with the Uraan Pakistan programme and the province will lead in this effort nationwide as well.

The chief minister highlighted that Rs15 billion of private investment had been secured for industrial zones and that under the Insaf Rozgar Scheme, entrepreneurs were provided loans amounting to Rs200 million, which created employment opportunities for more than 137,000 individuals. He stated that the government’s vision for economic development is completely aligned with Uraan Pakistan.

“The provincial government has initiated the revival of industrial zones in Dera Ismail Khan, Rashkai, and Haripur, attracting Rs435 million of private investment into these economic zones. Additionally, the establishment of software technology parks in Peshawar and Mardan has boosted IT exports, while mineral auctions have generated Rs5 billion in revenue for the government,” he said.

He said that his government provided interest-free loans to over 50,000 women-led businesses, offered training in engineering, digital skills, and technical fields to 81,000 young people, and enabled more than 500,000 students to benefit from the provincial education card programme. Referring to additional initiatives, he mentioned that the Health Card Plus scheme was reinstated, free medical facilities worth Rs30.4 billion were provided to 10 million families and government assistance was extended for the construction of over 200,000 new houses.

The provincial government was taking steps to promote e-governance and IT by introducing the Pamir Digital Payment Gateway and a Digital Tax Collection System, along with providing IT training to more than 85,000 youth so that they are prepared to meet modern market demands.

He maintained that Rs5.5 billion in funds have been provided to Jawan Marakiz to promote positive activities among young people. In addition, solar systems are being provided to 250,000 households; 1,000 schools have already received solar systems, and over the next year, another 8,000 schools will be solarized.

Similarly, 4,000 mosques have been equipped with solar systems with another 8,000 to follow, and government offices, colleges, universities, mosques, and madrasas are also being solarized.

Gandapur also highlighted developments in other sectors, and said that a mining cadastral system has been introduced in the province, under which more than 3,000 mines have been mapped, resulting in a royalty revenue of Rs. 5.7 billion. The process of land acquisition for a 365-kilometer-long Peshawar-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway has been initiated, improvements have been made to the BRT service, and the number of daily commuters has increased to 150,000. He added that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa afforestation program has been expanded, with forest cover increasing by 12 percent and food security support projects worth Rs25 billion have been implemented.

The chief minister reaffirmed that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa fully supports the economic development agenda of Uraan Pakistan and called on the federal government to take practical steps to grant the province its constitutional rights. He stated that since 2018, out of the Rs700 billion allocated by the federal government for AIP projects, only Rs215.3 billion has been allocated, of which only Rs132.1 billion has been released so far. In the current financial year, Rs42.3 billion was allocated for AIP, but only Rs6.35 billion has been released. Similarly, for the annual development programme for merged districts, Rs27 billion was allocated, but only Rs9.41 billion has been released to date.

He urged that for the timely completion of development projects in the merged districts, the remaining funds should be released on an emergency basis. Under the PSDP, out of Rs36 billion allocated for seven projects in the province, only Rs2.65 billion has been allocated and only Rs1.0 billion has been released so far. He further pointed out that while new projects have been reflected for other provinces in the PSDP, but no new projects have been given to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Compared to other provinces, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa received a very small share of the PSDP funds, with Sindh allocated Rs49.2 billion, Punjab Rs7.10 billion, and Balochistan Rs23.81 billion. The Chief Minister called for an increase in the allocation of PSDP funds for the province and for the timely release of funds for the completion of PSDP projects.

He also made it clear that the Chashma Right Bank Canal project, which is crucial for the province’s food security, has neither received appropriate funding nor has the construction of the connecting canals been carried out. Although Rs17.51 billion has been allocated for the project in the current financial year, no funds have yet been released. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will contribute Rs60 billion from its own resources for this project, and Rs500 million has already been released for the required land. He further mentioned that the details of the project’s alignment have not been shared with the provincial government, and the timelines agreed by Wapda for their activities have not been adhered to. Similarly, the federal government promised to allocate Rs17.5 billion for the project, but only Rs2.5 billion has been earmarked in the current PSDP, and even that amount has not been released. He concluded by affirming his government’s support for the Uraan Pakistan development agenda while demanding equal investment and funding alongside the province.