Peshawar: The Planning Ministry, with the approval of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has released 35.968 billion rupees for the merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the Accelerated Implementation Programme.

According to Radio Pakistan, key initiatives include the solarization of off-grid households, with 13.5 billion rupees set aside to provide solar energy solutions to 120,000 households or implement a 50 megawatt utility-scale micro grid, ensuring sustainable and affordable power access.

Additionally, seven billion rupees have been allocated for the construction of police stations and police posts, including the transformation of Levies Forces, to enhance law enforcement capacity and public safety in the region.

The development of FATA University has also been prioritized, with 2.5 billion rupees earmarked for strengthening its academic and institutional infrastructure, providing youth from the region with greater access to quality higher education.

Furthermore, an amount of 13.145 billion rupees, as requested by the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has been authorized to clear outstanding liabilities for ongoing schemes, ensuring the timely completion of critical infrastructure and development projects.

This landmark funding package reaffirms the federal government’s resolve to uplift underdeveloped regions and integrate them fully into the national development framework, ensuring equitable growth, improved governance, and social cohesion across Pakistan.

It is pertinent to mention that with this latest funding authorization, the total allocation for the Accelerated Implementation Programme under the current fiscal year reaches 42.315 billion rupees.

Minister Ahsan Iqbal reiterated that merged districts are an important priority of the Federal Government. He said the Federal Government looks forward to working with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government above partisan lines for the development of a region, which has suffered greatly due to terrorism.