PESHAWAR: In a move, which will cost the government around Rs3.25 billion annually, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Monday approved Rs10,000 monthly stipend for prayer leaders of main mosques in the province.

The decision will take effect next month.

The cabinet met here with Chief Minister Pervez Khattak in the chair to discuss agenda items and other others.

The ministers, chief secretary and administrative secretaries attended the meeting.

A statement issued here said the stipend would be given to prayer leaders having proper degree from any of the five recognised boards of seminaries.

Cabinet also approves culture policy, restructuring of board of investment, trade

It said besides other conditions for receiving the stipend, the prayer leaders should also be the permanent residents of the province.

The statement said the stipend would be directly transferred to the bank accounts of eligible imams for which modalities were being worked out.

An official committee will be set up at the district level, which will choose main mosques, whose prayer leaders are to get the stipend.

“The opinion of the masjid committees will also be given due consideration in the process,” it said.

The committee in case of the change of imam will send their nomination of new prayer leader to the district committee.

The statement put the cost of the initiative at the whopping Rs3.25 billion per annum.

The statement said that the cabinet also approved draft bill for regularization of 4,835 projects employees of 57 different projects. The draft bill will be tabled in the provincial assembly for enactment.

The cabinet also conditionally approved the upgradation of Kulachi area in the Dera Ismail Khan division and Upper Chitral in Malakand division to the status of the district.

At the same time, it approved the elevation of Miryan area of Bannu to the tehsil level and Khanpur area of Haripur district to the subdivision’s level.

However, the statement said those decisions would take effect only after the lifting of the Election Commission of Pakistan ban for completion of new delimitations.

The cabinet in the context of powers entrusted to the province after the 18th Constitutional Amendment also approved the new culture policy to promote regional languages, literature, culture, sports, lok virsa, exchange of cultural delegates at national, international level and regional art.

The cabinet also approved policy for issuance of licences of weapons of restricted bore.

It said in order to make the process of issuance of licenses transparent, an arms committee would be constituted at district level to be headed by deputy commissioners.

The committee will issue licences after seeking approval from the competent authority within the monthly allocated quota.

Moreover, the cabinet also approved certain amendments to the Partnership Rules 1932 whereby necessary changes have been proposed in fees of regular firms.

The cabinet approved the restructuring of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Board of Investment and Trade and directed all relevant administrative secretaries to present detail performance reports of all the boards under their respective jurisdictions.

It approved legal framework for the regulating of the public procurement.

The chief minister directed the relevant authorities that besides e-bidding, e-billing and e-work-order system should also be introduced in all the departments with the aim to ensure maximum transparency.

The cabinet also approved the budget strategy paper.

It approved the declaration of deputy commissioners, additional deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners and additional assistant commissioners as Inspectors under Section 10 of the Allopathic System (Prevention of Misuse) Ordinance 1962 to curb quackery and to ensure the provision of quality health services to the people of district level.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2018