KP govt extends legal cover to Sehat Sahulat Card

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has granted legal cover to Sehat Card Programme on permanent basis after necessary amendment to the relevant law.

An official handout said the government also approved the establishment of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Protection Council. It said the 70th meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet with Chief Minister Mahmood Khan in the chair approved necessary amendments to the law to provide legal cover to the Sehat Card Programme, which is one of the flagship projects of the province.

The amendments are aimed at running the programmes on a permanent basis and to provide healthcare facilities to the people at their doorstep.

Besides the cabinet members, the provincial chief Secretary, Senior Member Board of Revenue, additional chief secretary and administrative Secretaries of various Government departments attended the meeting.

Briefing media persons about the decisions of the cabinet, Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Information Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said the cabinet approved a grant of Rs1.9 billion for six public sector universities in the province.

However, an additional grant of Rs.5 million each was approved for Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan and University of Peshawar for maintaining better financial discipline and showing good performance, he added.

The cabinet, he said, also approved procedures and rules for the provision of funds for the hospitals being run under the Public-Private Partnership.

He said the cabinet approved giving representation to youth and legal expert in the Charity Commission.

The cabinet, he said, approved the transfer of six kanal state land to the Forestry, Environment and Wildlife Department for the construction of offices and residences for Divisional Forest Officers Wildlife and Range Officer Wildlife in North Waziristan District. He said the land was being transferred under the AIP scheme “Merged Areas’ Integrated Development Forestry Sector Project (Wildlife component)” to protect, conserve and manage wildlife there.

The land, which has been identified for the purpose, was in possession of the district administration North Waziristan and the authority concerned had issued NOC for the same, he added.

Barrister Saif said the cabinet approved the establishment of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Protection Council under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Act 2014 to oversee the implementation of the environmental laws, approval of the environment related policies and environment standards.

The council will be headed by the chief minister or any other person nominated by him while Minister for Environment would be the Vice Chairperson with Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretary and Secretaries Environment, Finance, Law, Irrigation, C&W, Transport, Health, Energy and Power, Local Government, Industries, Tourism and Public Health Engineering Departments as its official members with maximum 10 other members from various walks of life as per provision in the Act.

He said the cabinet approved the transfer of four kanal state land in the name of Emergency Rescue Services Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at Mouza Daman in Pabbi tehsil in Nowshera district to establish a Rescue-1122 station.

He said the transfer of the land will contribute towards commissioning of the Rescue-1122 services for facilitating the people and better management of the Rescue resources in case of any disaster or emergency at the tehsil level.

The SACM said that the cabinet approved the extension of cost-sharing agreement for single sourcing with UNDP for the establishment of additional camping villages in various remote tourists’ valleys of the province under the revised ADP scheme

The cabinet granted approval to the declaration of command area of Pehur High Level Canal Extension Project, Swabi as required by the Government for public purpose, he said.

Barrister Saif said the cabinet accorded approval to the appointment of Ms. Zeenat Bibi, MPA as an official member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of Women (KPCSW) for the remaining period as recommended by the Speaker of the Assembly on the request of the Chairperson KPCSW.

He said the cabinet approved the transfer of as many as 10 kanal of state land to the Social Welfare, Special Education & Women Empowerment Department for the establishment of a school and hostel for orphan children at Charbagh tehsil in Swat.

The cabinet, he said, approved the reorganization of the existing two sub-divisions and the creation of a new sub-division in Bajaur tribal district.

The existing sub-division Khar will comprise of Tehsil Khar and Tehsil Barang while sub-division Nawagai will include Tehsil Loi Mamund, Tehsil Wara Mamund and Tehsil Nawagai.

Similarly, the newly created sub-division Utman Salarzai will include Tehsil Salarzai and Tehsil Utmankhel.