Rs165m approved for sports, culture projects in KP

PESHAWAR: Secretary Sports, Tourism, Archaeology, Museum, Culture and Youth Affairs Department, Muhammad Tariq, on Monday approved over Rs165 million for various projects including sports talent hunt programme, promotion of Kalash culture and preservation of archaeological and heritage sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The approval accorded at a meeting of Departmental Development Working Party (DDWP) held here with Secretary Sports and Tourism Department Muhammad Tariq in the chair.

The DDWP under the Annual Development Programme okayed a number of projects for research in archaeology and heritage, construction of new playgrounds at tehsil level and sports talent hunt programme and promotion and preservation of Kalash culture in the scenic Kalash valley in Chitral district.

The meeting decided that sports talent hunt programme would be launched in 12 games to provide the youth with an opportunity to hone their skill and excel them in their respective fields.

Besides these, several projects were also approved for the preservation of archaeological sites, research for identification of sites, excavation and their promotion through publicity to highlight their importance to the tourists, students and researchers.

The participants also said that the provincial government was taking tangible steps for the promotion and preservation of Kalash culture and approved several projects for this purpose.

Under the annual development programme, new playgrounds would be constructed at tehsil level and old ones would be reconstructed and renovated in various regions of the province.

The meeting approved Rs165 million for various projects including construction of new playgrounds in Panyala tehsil in Dera Ismail Khan, Damtor in Abbottabad, Merakhel in Bannu, Kowari in Swat, while several projects for the sports talent hunt and promotion of Kalash culture would be launched soon.

The meeting also approved construction of a playground at GDC Matta and a picnic spot for tourists in Malam Jabba.