Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Government Spokesperson Mushtaq Ghani on Wednesday made public the provincial government’s one year achievements in different sectors, saying that health, and the secondary and higher education sectors had remained the provincial government’s focus over the year.
Addressing a press conference here at Peshawar Press Club, he said that during the year 2016-17 the provincial government took the historic step of approving the establishment of the first girls’ cadet college in Mardan. “The government also approved a university for Chitral, the establishment of an engineering university in Upper Dir, and the setting up of a campus of Bannu University in Lakki Marwat,” Mushtaq Ghani said.
The government approved Rs 200 million for setting up of a criminology and forensic science institute at the University of Peshawar, Ghani said, adding that Rs 610 million were approved for the promotion of science at universities and research centres.
“Construction work on 41 colleges including 17 new ones is underway, while four new libraries are also being constructed. Rs 25.465 million are being spent on college teacher training and human resource development. Work on home economics colleges in Nowshera and Abbottabad is in process,” he said.
“The KP government also allocated Rs 100 million for the construction of Mardan Women University and Rs 10 million for a feasibility study of KP’s own Knowledge City,” Ghani said.
Similarly, Rs 2085 million were released to 16 public sector universities and Rs 100 million to the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute. Rs 121.341 million were issued for 14 government colleges across the province for the provision of required facilities.
He said that in the elementary and secondary education sector, a total of 160 new primary schools and 100 secondary schools are being constructed whereas 500 IT labs are being set up in government high secondary schools.
He said that a stipend of Rs 200 is being given to female students of classes 6 to 10.
In the health sector, Ghani said that Gaju Khan Medical College and Swabi and Nowshera medical colleges were set up during the year, adding that Rs 4 billion were allocated for the improvement of health facilities at district and tehsil headquarters’ hospitals.
In addition to these efforts, the government is providing free emergency services to around 20 million patients of the province annually at government hospitals and has started a five-year program at a cost of Rs 6 billion and 170 million for all basic vaccinations of the 2.3 million children of the province.
Similarly, Rs 1.9 billion were allocated for free treatment of cancer patients, Mushtaq Ghani said, adding that at present 3500 cancer patients are receiving treatment under this program.
Under the Insulin for Life program, at least 10,000 patients of the province were provided with free insulin service. Ghani said that with an amount 190 million the first safe blood transfusion centre was set up in Peshawar that would provide free of cost safe blood to all government hospitals in Peshawar division.
15,000 new vacancies were created in the health sector during the outgoing year including 184 district specialists, 1,675 medical officers, 1,097 paramedics, 1,480 nurses, and 1,502 lady health workers.
Similarly, the government increased the salaries of doctors and other staff by 200 to 300 percent in across the province.
“In the communication sector, the government spent Rs 34 billion on the Swat Expressway that is expected to be completed by December 2017. Construction work on the Peshawar-Kohat by-pass is underway,” Ghani said.
2016 sees 386 cases of terrorism, 2431 killings in KP: Spokesperson
The year of 2016 witnessed 386 cases of terrorism, 2,431 killings and 2,775 attempted murders, said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Spokesperson Mushtaq Ghani here on Wednesday.
He said that the police registered a total 190 cases of terrorism, 196 of anti-terrorism, and 9,972 cases against offenders.
“21 cases of ransom and 100 of extortion were also registered with the KP police,” Ghani said.
The province police department conducted 103,198 raids under search and strike operations and registered 43,935 cases. 263 cases of robberies, 1,956 of theft, 369 of car snatching and 609 of motorbike theft were also reported over the year, Ghani informed the media.
