Efforts on for financial self-sustainability of KP, says CM Mahmood Khan

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan said on Tuesday that the provincial government was undertaking efforts for the financial self-sustainability of the province.

An official handout said the chief minister was talking to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority Chairman Lt Gen (Retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat here. They held detailed discussion about the provincial government’s development projects included in the CPEC. The chief minister said that numerous measures had been undertaken to attract investors, promote industrialisation and make the province a tourist hub.

He stated that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was destined to become a centre for regional trade and commerce activities. The completion of Peshawar to Dera Ismail Khan Expressway, Swat Motorway Phase-II and Chakdara to Gilgit via Shandur route would help strengthen communication network in the province besides providing employment opportunities to the locals, he added. The chief minister further stated that Shandur route would also be established as an alternate CPEC route. He stated that wheeling of electricity to local industries would attract investors by providing them with cheap electricity thereby increasing the revenue generation of the province. He clarified that the inclusion of Chashma Right Bank Lift Canal Project in CPEC was a landmark achievement of the provincial government which would help in poverty alleviation of the southern districts of the province.

Similarly, completion of Gomal Zam dam would eradicate poverty pockets by boosting agriculture productivity in the southern region, he added. Mahmood Khan reiterated that through provision of conducive environment to investors and industries, the provincial government would be able to exploit and reap benefits from the tremendous mines and minerals potential in the province particularly in the merged districts.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan directed all departments to formulate effective communication strategy to inform the public about the initiatives and projects of the provincial government to enable them to benefit from these schemes. According to an official handout, he said this while chairing a meeting of all administrative secretaries committee at the Civil Secretariat, Peshawar. The chief minister stated that all cabinet members have been tasked with the formulation of short, mid and long-term development goals, policies and reforms for their respective departments whose implementation would be ensured.

Mahmood Khan said that people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have elected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf for the second consecutive term with a two-thirds majority in the province keeping in view their performance, public-friendly policies, initiatives for good governance and efforts for the establishment of the welfare state. He made it clear that the provincial government would not tolerate any negligence in public service delivery.

The chief minister directed the secretaries to initiate legal actions against all incompetent officers and those involved in malpractices. He said that merit and transparency would be ensured at all costs and only those officers shall be appointed to important positions who had an efficient and honest track record. Mahmood Khan directed the Communication and Works Department to undertake pragmatic measures to root out the practice of commissions.

He said every department should focus on digitization of government businesses and the routine file work which will help make the system more efficient and ensure timely service delivery. The chief minister directed that every department should ensure that all summaries are processed in a timely manner and on a priority basis. Regarding the newly merged tribal districts, he called for pragmatic measures to promote ease of working and to ensure immediate recruitment for all vacant positions in the departments concerned. The chief secretary, on this occasion, assured the chief minister that the entire team of administrative secretaries owns and shares the provincial government’s vision for the uplift of the province and every effort will be undertaken to implement the KP government policies.