‘Rs84 billion released for uplift projects’

PESHAWAR: Provincial Minister for Information Shaukat Yousafzai on Tuesday said that the government had floated tenders of Rs84 billion for the uplift of merged districts, which would usher in a new era of development and prosperity in the erstwhile Fata region. Talking to media at Bacha Khan Markaz here, the minister said that people, police and armed forces had rendered matchless sacrifices for the restoration of peace and now the time has come to launch uplift work to improve the life standard of the people.

He said that government wanted to hold local governments’ elections in the entire province including tribal districts, simultaneously. He said they were ready for local governments’ elections after Ramazan but Election Commission had to issue a date for polls.

He said that polio eradication was essential for a healthy Pakistan and that they would go to any extent to make anti-polio campaign successful. “Government has issued health cards to every family in merged districts through which they can avail health facilities upto almost Rs0.7 million and Rs1 billion loans given to youth for employment,” Shaukat said, adding that Khassadar and the Levies force had been integrated into the police.

He also said that the courts had been established in tribal districts for disposal of speedy Justice. He said that developmental work will be carried out through elected representatives in the tribal districts. Shaukat Yousafzai said that the opposition parties were in the government in the past, but they had also not been succeeded to resolve all issues during their tenures.