Baidara Nursery contributing to GoKP Billion Tree Tsunami plantation project 4 types, 600,000 plants
KP govt offers better pay, perks to medics serving in remote areas
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has announced the enhanced salary packages for doctors opting to work in remote areas and unveiled lucrative package for industrialists to attract investors.
The measures aimed to improve health delivery system in periphery level healthcare facilities and attract investment in the form of industries in the province.
The cabinet approved Industrial Policy 2015 and special incentive package for doctors employed in urban and rural areas of the province.
Chief Minister Pervez Khattak chaired the meeting.
The new policy and package don’t offer incentives for skilled labours and technical staff like paramedic staff and nurses.
Elementary and secondary education minister Atif Khan and health minister Shahram Khan Tarakai addressed a joint news conference and gave details of the decisions of the cabinet’s meeting.
The new industrial policy has been designed with the cooperation of a foreign consultancy firm after making assessment of industrial units in 10 districts of the province and meetings with owners of sick industrial units and other stakeholders.
Under the propped policy, investors will get five per cent interest on financing for five years for new and expansion projects and will be entitled to the incentive till June 2017.
It suggests 25 per cent discount on acquisition on land for establishing new industrial estate besides getting 25 per cent refund of electricity bill for three years on special and unique units.
Investors will also receive 25 per cent discount on transportation of new imported machinery and 25 per cent grant of equity investment for women entrepreneurs subject to the maximum of Rs3 million per investor.
Mr Atif, who owns industrial units, said the new policy was aimed at provision of jobs to unemployed youths, promotion of the units for which raw material was locally available, and availability of skilled manpower.
“The new policy will be game changer for industrial sector of the province where 478 units had been declared sick,” he said, adding that the focus of the policy was construction of hydro power projects in the province.
The minister said KP had the potential to generate approximately 24000MW hydel power.
He said new industrial units would be established in less developed areas of the province in order to address the issue of poverty.
The minister said the new dry ports and hard terminals would be constructed and apart from establishing new economic zones steps would be taken for the revisal of sick units.
He said the new policy had been worked to get maximum benefits from China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Highlighting silent features for incentives for doctors working in the government hospitals, minister Shahram Tarakai said additional cost of the package would be over Rs4 billion.
He said the new package would motivate doctors to serve in hard areas of the province.
“Handsome pay motivates people and that is why the government announced salary package for doctors,” said the minister adding that the government had planned to install state of the art equipment in the district headquarters hospitals.
He said doctors would not serve in far-flung areas without giving them attractive package.
He said that all districts had been divided in three categories on the basis of available human resources and geographical conditions. Peshawar and Abbottabad have been put in Category-A, Nowshera, Swat, Kohat, Mardan, Bannu, Charsadda, Dera Ismail Khan, Lower Dir, Haripur, Mansehra, Malakand and Swabi in Category-B and Buner, Batagram, Chitral, Upper Dior, Hangu, Karak, Kohistan, Lakki Marwat, Shangla and Torghar had been put in Category-C.
Shahram said that existing health professional allowance had been increased which had been raised from Rs10,000 to Rs15,000. He said that doctors having specialization in radiology, pathology and anesthesia in Category-A would receive Rs80,000, Rs100,000 for Category-B and Rs140,000 for Category-C.
Professional allowance for medical officers and dental surgeons was Rs15,000.
Under the new package, doctors in Category-A will get Rs42,000 in urban areas and Rs52,000 in rural areas.
Doctors in Category-B districts will receive Rs62,000 in urban areas and Rs72,000 in rural areas, while those in Category-C districts will get Rs82,000 in urban and Rs92,000 in rural areas.
Package for health managers in Category-A doctors has been fixed at Rs56,000, those in Category-B Rs76,000 and those in Category-C Rs96,000.
The cabinet also approved the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Antiquities Act, 2015.
Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2015
Tourism returns in full swing: Khattak orders authorities to expedite development projects
PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has directed the relevant authorities to expedite progress on implementing his orders to establish development authorities in various parts of the province.
This was stated in a handout issued by the CM’s Secretariat on Wednesday. He said this while chairing the 20th meeting of the Tourism Corporation Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) Board of Directors.
He also urged them to finalise a draft legislation to bring all proposed and existing development authorities within the ambit of the proposed law. According to the handout, TCKP affairs, including the Annual Development Schemes 2015-16 for tourism sector, progress on tourism promotional initiatives, annual budget and accounts and numerous decisions to enable TCKP achieve its target fixed for the current year were discussed in detail at the meeting.
Meeting proceedings
Khattak directed tourism and environment departments to conduct a feasibility study to establish a recreation park under construction near Pashtun Garhi Bridge and a wetland park in the same area to preserve wildlife.
As per the handout, Khattak also directed authorities to expedite progress on construction of zoo and stressed on the need to complete beautification, rehabilitation and renovation project of Nathiagali by the forthcoming tourist season.
Participants were informed that Rs244.124 million would be spent on 12 tourism schemes under ADP 2015-16.
“These schemes include establishment of picnic spots at Malam Jabba, water sports facilities, better tracks for walking and jeeps, camps and other tourist facilities throughout K-P and traditional events at local, national and international level,” stated the handout. “Different tourism promotional events planned for 2016 including Huner Mela, Huner-e-Hawa, FITUR Spain, Madrid, ITB Berlin, Germany, Kalash Festival, Shandur Polo Festival, Broghil Festival, World Tourism Day and World Travel Mart, London were also discussed at the meeting.”
The chief minister also approved a proposal presented by tourism secretary about holding a car rally from Abbottabad to Peshawar through the tourists’ trail of Mansehra, Chilas, Shandur, and Chitral. He directed the proposed event be coincided with the next Shandur Polo Festival. Khattak asked the finance department to grant sanction to all new posts demanded by the government departments in the larger public interest.
The past
TCKP MD said the corporation carried out 18 tourism promotional activities in different parts of the province and abroad this year.
“Jewels of Peshawar held at Sethi House, K-P Cuisine and Cultural Festival, Frontier Jeep Rally, Swat, Kohat Festival, Train Excursion Trip, Ladies Summer Festival, Vintage Car Rally, Dilip Kumar’s Birthday, Pakistan International Mountain Film Festival, innovative Train Ride to Attock Khurd, Tour de Galliyat Cycle Race, Shandur polo Tournament, Train Safari on Iqbal Day and Opening of Government Rest Houses for tourists were all done this year,” the handout quoted him as saying
