PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on Tuesday approved the regularisation of 2,500 former servicemen working in the police department.

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan chaired the cabinet’s meeting, which lasted around seven hours and discussed 40 agenda items.

Spokesman for the government Kamran Khan Bangash later told a news conference that former servicemen were hired by the police department on contractual basis in 2009 to fight militancy in the province and that they rendered valuable services in the fight.

He said those ex-servicemen would continue to serve in the police department until they attained the age of superannuation.

Sehat Card Plus initiative to cover liver transplants

Mr Bangash said the cabinet also decided to include liver transplantation in the Sehat Card-Plus programme and hinted at the inclusion of the bone marrow transplantation in it in the next phase.

He said the cabinet also approved the allotment of 225 kanals of land for the establishment of the modern University of Azakhel in Nowshera, including a sports ground.

The spokesman said the chief minister directed all departments to ensure the framing of rules under the newly-framed legislation of their respective departments within a week’s time and said strict action would be initiated against those failing to comply with the orders.

Mr Mahmood also ordered the identification of the under-utilised buildings of all departments within a week time to ensure their proper use for the people’s welfare.

The cabinet also approved the Panagah Rules, 2020, for the provision of healthcare, security, food, transportation and other facilities to the shelter-less people staying in panagahs.

It also approved the Local Government Private Housing Schemes (Management and Regulation) Rules, 2021, to provide a comprehensive legal framework for the management and regularisation of private housing schemes to ensure the provision of basic civic amenities and municipal services to the residents and planned construction and efficient land utilisation.

Mr Bangash said the proposed KP Land Use and Building Control Authority Act, 2021, also came under consideration in the meeting of the cabinet, which formed a committee comprising local government, food, labour and agriculture ministers and advocate general to review the draft.

The cabinet also approved amendments to the Local Government Act 2013 regarding the upcoming local body elections and the KP Witness Protection Act, 2021, to help witnesses in cases record statements fearlessly.

The transfer of the administrative control of the Food Safety and Halal Food Authority from the health department to the food department was also approved.

The cabinet approved the Rs800 million supplementary grant for the higher education department for Pak-Austria Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, Haripur.

As the Pension Rules, 2020, were also approved, Mr Bangash said the pension reforms would in no way affect the existing pensioners.

He said the pension rules were meant to strengthen the pension system and evolve a mechanism to meet pension expenditure in future.

The cabinet also approved a supplementary grant of Rs213.34 million for the standardisation of all district and tehsil headquarters hospitals, a grant of Rs1.2 billion for the procurement of land for Bacha Khan Medical College, and the notification of 15 rivers in various districts of the province under the River Protection Ordinance, 2020, to ensure the better management of water resources and avoid encroachment on riverbanks.

An approval was also granted to Rs2 billion supplementary grant for the ongoing road, water, health, tourism and sports projects.

The cabinet approved the appointment of Ali Gul Faraz as the managing director of the Bank of Khyber subject to the fulfillment of all codal formalities, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Commission Employees Service Rules, 2020, and appointment of the chief executive officer for the Water Supply and Sanitation Company in Bannu and Swat, and nine private members to the board of directors at the Peshawar WSSC.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2021