Senate Functional Committee on Less Developed Areas has asked the members to provide proposals to the committee for addressing the problems of under-developed areas.
A meeting of the committee presided over by Senator Usman Khan Kakar met here on Wednesday to discuss the issues of less developed areas including Federally Administered Tribal Areas and areas of other provinces.
The meeting noted with concern that according to a survey of Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform, most the districts of the provinces are under developed and are lacking basic facilities.
The committee was informed that so far 64 meetings of the committee have been taken place to devise a strategy for resolving the problems of less developed areas across the country and directives were issued for implementation of proposed measures.
The chairman of the committee stated that the committee has also included senators from less developed areas as members so that they could suggest proposals to the committee for betterment of their areas. He urged the committee members to ensure their presence in the meetings to apprise the committee of problems in their areas.
Senator Haji Momin Khan Afridi stated his area is facing serious problems of health, education and drinking water while Fida Muhammad Khan stated that out of 11 less developed districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhaw, most of them are in Malakand. The meeting was attended by only a few senators as most of the members of 13-member committee remained absent from the meeting.
According to a statement issued by the Senate after the committee meeting, Senator Maulvi Faiz Muhammad, Senator Haji Momin Khan Afridi and Senator Fida Muhammad Khan turned up in the meeting, besides the chairman.