PESHAWAR, Jun 17 (APP): Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has stated that the province’s own revenues stand at Rs125 billion.
The current provincial government has exercised strict financial discipline and effective monitoring, which has not only prevented wastage of resources already present in the system but also enabled the establishment of a Debt Management Fund with an investment of Rs150 billion during the current fiscal year, with another Rs150 billion to be added in the next fiscal year, generating significant profit for the province.
The Chief Minister shared these views during a call on meeting with a delegation of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), led by its newly elected President Kazim Khan.
Talking about the province’s Annual Development Programme (ADP), CM Gandapur noted that the Throw Forward of the ADP stood at 13.5 years when his government took over, which have now been reduced to four years. He said that due to poor planning in the past, delays in the completion of development projects over the last 15 years led to cost escalations amounting to a loss of Rs450 billion.
The current government has prioritized the completion of ongoing schemes over launching new ones, successfully completing 541 development projects during the past year adding that the government has presented a balanced and progressive budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
The new ADP will lay the foundation for projects to be completed within the next three years. A total of Rs195 billion has been allocated for the ADP in the next fiscal year, which will be enhanced to Rs250 billion.
For the current fiscal year, Rs120 billion was allocated, all of which has been released, followed by an additional Rs35 billion under ADP Plus.
The delegation congratulated the Chief Minister on presenting a surplus budget.
The meeting also discussed issues faced by local newspapers, including pending advertisement payments and the provincial government’s overall performance.
Gandapur acknowledged the role of CPNE in promoting press freedom and the newspaper industry, promising that pending dues of newspapers will be cleared on a priority basis.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to freedom of the press, aligning with Imran Khan’s vision, and noted the enduring relevance of newspapers even in the digital and social media era. Discussing his government’s 15-month performance, the Chief Minister stated that Rs72 billion in arrears were cleared across various departments, including public universities.
At the time of assuming office, Rs17 billion were pending under the Sehat Card scheme alone, and the treasury held only enough funds to cover salaries for 18 days. Despite this, the government not only revived and expanded the Sehat Card to include expensive treatments like liver, kidney, and bone marrow transplants and cochlear implants, but also achieved annual savings of Rs13 billion through effective monitoring.
Previously, 75% of Sehat Card usage occurred in private hospitals and only 25% in public hospitals. After upgrading public healthcare facilities, that number has shifted, with 71% of treatments now conducted in public hospitals.The province generated an additional Rs250 billion in revenue through financial discipline and system improvements.
Under the welfare initiatives, Rs20 billion was distributed among deserving families as part of Ramadan and Eid relief packages. The Dowery Fund was raised from Rs25,000 to Rs250,000.
The Chief Minister also highlighted reforms in the mining sector, which doubled annual royalty income from Rs5.5 billion to Rs12 billion. Similarly, royalty from the cement industry is projected to grow from Rs2.5 billion to nearly Rs8 billion next year. Over the past 15 months, the province has witnessed a 50% increase in tax and non-tax revenue.
Responding to a question, Gandapur confirmed that the KP government has fully met IMF targets and is working on a dedicated provincial power transmission line to provide locally produced electricity to industries at subsidized rates. Over the next three years, 500 MW of hydropower projects will be completed.
To support energy needs at the grassroots level, 132,000 deserving households will be provided solar systems free or at subsidized rates.
