PESHAWAR: US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome on Friday inaugurated work on eight US-funded joint checkposts for the newly-merged tribal districts.

The inaugural ceremony was held during the ambassador’s visit to Bala Hisar Fort here.

Mr Blome also met the head of the Frontier Corps Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (North), according to a statement issued by the US consulate-general in the provincial capital.

The US consulate-general said that the envoy’s visit to the province was meant to deepen his country’s partnership with the people of KP through initiatives related to economic growth, education, security, and cultural preservation.

The ambassador also went to the Masjid Mahabat Khan in the provincial capital.

The statement added that from 2002 to 2003, the US doled out more than $14,000 in funds for the restoration of the Mughal-era decorations on the lower walls of the mosque.

Blome also meets FC head, inaugurates projects funded by USAID

The ambassador also went to the Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan to launch the English Works programme, which is meant to improve Pakistani students’ job-related English language ability as well as develop their public speaking and leadership skills.

According to the statement, the US is providing scholarships for 215 students from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to complete a six-month programme in Mardan and Charsadda to improve their English language proficiency and other skills required for professional success.

The ambassador also inaugurated a reconstructed higher secondary school in the Akbarpura area that was damaged by the devastating 2010 floods.

He visited a government girls’ primary school, where a US-funded programme increased school enrollment among Afghan refugee and Pakistani host community girls.

Mr Blome also met business leaders at the FF Steel and discussed with them the trade and commerce in the province as well as environmental practices in business.

SOFTWARE DELIVERED: The USAID-funded Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Mobilisation (KPRM) handed over enterprise resource planning (ERP) automation software to the KP Revenue Authority here on Friday.

A ceremony was held at the KPRA headquarters for the purpose.

KPRA director-general Raja Fazal Khaliq and KPRM representative Amir Hadi signed documents for the delivery of the ERP system.

The KPRA identified a total of 13 modules for its ERP. Of them, five have been completed and deployed at the KPRA data centre.

Officials said that the ERP was being developed with the financial and technical support of the KPRM.

They said the remaining eight modules would be developed in the later phases.

The officials said that currently, the finance, human resource, payroll, court case management, notice management and file movement systems had been completed and deployed.

They said that the ERP was one of the moves by the KPRA for digital transformation.

The director-general of the KPRA thanked the USAID-funded KPRM for assisting the authority in different fields, including its capacity building and digital transformation.

He appreciated the efforts of the KPRA and said that USAID would continue its financial and technical support to the KPRA to enable it to completely switch its functions to information technology and thus, bringing more transparency, efficiency and ease in its working.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2023