Peshawar: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has started a comprehensive economic initiative – ‘High Impact Economic Plan’ – to uplift the Newly Merged Districts (NMDs) of the province, as per news sources on January 4.
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According to the details, the economic plan prioritizes indigenous sectors to maximize their utilization. Ten crucial sectors, including industries, commerce, technical education, mines and mineral development, agriculture, energy and power, livestock, forestry and environment, irrigation and water, sports, tourism and youth affairs, roads & communication, and border economy, have been identified as key targets for the development process.
According to the economic plan, an estimated PKR 142,614 million has been allocated for development initiatives in these districts. Of this, PKR 139,494 million will be provided by the provincial government, with an additional PKR 3,120 million from donor funds. The plan encompasses approximately 96 ongoing and new development projects in the merged districts.
These projects include 23 road projects, 11 industries, 12 agriculture, 5 minerals, 8 tourism, sports, and youth affairs, 3 energy and electricity, 7 livestock, 7 forestry and environment, 9 water, and 11 border economy projects that are slated for completion.
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The economic plan outlines several anticipated outcomes for the merged districts, including road development targets involve the rehabilitation and improvement of 629-kilometre of roads over the next three years, with an additional 274-kilometre of new roads.