The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has set ambitious targets in the social sectors in the fiscal year 2017-18 including the creation of more than 28,000 jobs for youth. Titled the 'Citizens' Budget: Putting People First' the document released by the finance department of KP elaborates key targets in seven sectors-education, health, agriculture, local governments, security, sports and culture to be achieved in the financial year 2017-18.
Sources said that the citizens' budget was first introduced during 2014-15, as a reflection of the KP government commitment to improve citizen's access to budgetary information and promote accountability and transparency in managing public finances as intended by the promulgation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information Act 2013 and Right to Services Act 2014.
The document focuses on all those measures, which directly or indirectly have an impact on common citizens. Under KP annual development plan 2017-18, an amount of Rs 1.14bn was allocated as performance grants for public sector colleges and universities, and Rs 200m as performance grant to 20 boys and 20 girls colleges. An amount of Rs 1.2bn will be spent on establishment of 62 new colleges, Rs 69m for completion of four new public libraries, Rs 66m for completion of two new home economics colleges in Nowshera and Abbottabad.
An amount of Rs 9.2bn will be provided to parent teacher councils to complete missing facilities in all schools latest by 2018. An amount of Rs 3.1bn will be spent on construction of 5,000 additional class rooms and provision of school furniture. Similarly, Rs 1.5bn will be spent on standardisation of 200 higher secondary schools.
On the infrastructure side, a Rs 984m will be spent on establishment of primary schools, Rs 210m on secondary schools and Rs 2bn for upgradation of schools in 2017-18. In 2017-18, Rs 1bn will be spent on special initiatives with a clear objective to decrease the number of out of school children. Moreover, Rs 2.6bn was allocated for provision of free text books to all students and revision of textbooks for class 6 to 8.
To encourage genius students, Rs 260m allocated for scholarship to top 20 position holders from each board of intermediate and secondary education and Rs 1.7bn for scholarship to secondary school students. And Rs 964m will be spent on training of school administrators and teachers.
In the health sector, an amount of Rs 3bn will be spent on micro-health insurance for poor households, Rs 100m for piloting tele-medicine and Rs 25m for extension of Insulin for life programme to 25 districts in the year 2017-18. Free treatment will be given to 5,000 cancer patients and Rs 1bn will be spent on immunisation of children in the year 2017-18. To accelerate economic growth for creating jobs for the emerging youths in the province, several targets were set for the fiscal year 2017-18.
As many as 356 community based mini-micro hydel stations will be established in 2017-18. These will supply electricity to 85,000 to 90,000 households. Moreover, 17 special economic zones will be established to attract investments. A hefty amount of Rs 19.5bn will be spent on black topping and dualization of 600 kms of road and construction of 20 RCC/steel bridges, rapid bus transit system in Peshawar in eight months, and construction of eight small dams in Nowshera, Haripur, Abbottabad, Swabi and Kohat.
The computerisation of land records will be completed in 13 districts by 2018 while in the remaining 12 districts it will be completed by 2020. An amount of Rs 2bn will be spent on beautification of Peshawar and at divisional headquarters. For improvement of security, law and order, 48, 000 strong police force will be installed in 2017-18 to provide 24/7 services in the province, Rs 69m will be spent on construction of high security zones in six jails, and Rs 40m on improvement of female and juvenile sections in jails. Model police stations will be established at each tehsil/town headquarter.
For improvement of urban traffic, 1,963 traffic wardens will be appointed in 2017-18.
To promote sports and culture activities in the province, an amount of Rs 30, 000 financial grant will be given to over 500 artisans each, Rs 450 will be spent on construction of play grounds at tehsil level and a tourism authority will be established at the cost of Rs 600m in the year 2017-18, sources said.
For women welfare, an amount of Rs 12m will be spent on providing training on information technology to women. To incentivise maternal and child healthcare, an amount of Rs 2,700 per delivery done at Basic Health Unit or hospital done will be provided, and 13,500 lady health workers will be appointed for providing healthcare outreach services.
At 70 police stations, women counters will be established. Moreover, a stipend of Rs 200 per month to girls students in class 6-10 will be provided, Rs 20m for indoor sports facilities and centres for females in Peshawar. An amount of Rs 55m allocated for establishment of Women University in Mardan and women university campus in Swabi, sources maintained.
In seven districts for youth, 40,000 digital freelancers will be given training, another 3000 young men and women will be given cisco-certification in the year 2017-18. For underprivileged people, an amount of Rs 90m will be spent on establishment of special education schools and centres for people with disabilities, another 34,000 poor people to be provided financial grants through Guzara allowance, and Rs 18m for vocational skills training of transgender people. From Zakat and Ushr funds, an amount of Rs 1000 per month to more than 12,000 poor households will be provided, and in all health facilities healthcare assistance to poor people will also be provided from the same fund, the KP budget documents added.