Donors keenly interested in TARUCCI project, Masood told

PESHAWAR – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Barrister Masood Kausar, during a briefing on Tribal Areas’ Rural-to-Urban Centres Conversion Initiative (TARUCCI), was informed on Monday many donor countries had evinced keen interest in the project and made commitments for assistance. FATA Administration and Coordination Secretary Abid Majeed, while giving a briefing to the governor at the governor’s house, highlighted different aspects of this innovative project and said its objective was social transformation of the tribal areas from a scattered rural tribal society to a more organised, cosmopolitan and progressive one.
Two centres each for Kurram, North Waziristan, South Waziristan and Orakzai Agency would be set up while one each for Khyber, Bajaur and Mohmand agencies had been planned. These centres, it was told in the briefing, would have modern facilities in all social sectors, particularly in health, education, housing, technical education, municipal services and local industry. The residents of these centres would have all the municipal facilities available in urban areas of the country. Local industry would gain a boost, resulting in increased employment and livelihood opportunities for tribesmen, the governor was briefed.
The governor was further informed that donor countries and organisations had taken interest in providing assistance for the proposed centres in Bajaur, Kurram and Khyber agencies. The project would need Rs 2.4 billion for category A and Rs 2.1 billion for category B. The governor called the project innovative and good. He said modern facilities in health, education and other sectors would control shifting of population from tribal areas to settled districts in search of better faculties. This would also help reduce burden on the available facilities and services in the city areas, particularly the provincial capital, the governor remarked.