The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government has approved a Rs1.247 billion relief package for families displaced by recent floods in Bajaur, while also raising the province’s minimum monthly wage from Rs36,000 to Rs40,000.
These measures were part of a broad set of governance, welfare, and development initiatives sanctioned at the 38th cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur.
Among key decisions, the cabinet approved 50 new buses for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) fleet and announced plans to set up the country’s largest safari park in Nowshera. The Forest Department was handed 14,718 acres in Tank’s Banda Piru for reforestation, while the historic Chashma Rest House in Dera Ismail Khan was placed under the Archaeology Department’s control. A K-P Arts and Crafts display centre will also be established in Islamabad.
Police reforms featured prominently, with the reconstruction of Pak Sadd Shaheed Police Lines approved, along with the establishment of new police stations and posts in Peshawar. Land was also allocated for a police station in Akbarpura, Nowshera.
In the healthcare sector, Oghi Hospital in Mansehra was upgraded to Category-D, and Swabi’s sub-jail was elevated to district jail status with staff and prisoner transfers cleared. The cabinet also sanctioned a Rs6 million grant for a kidney transplant case.
Cultural support was extended through grants for the festivals of the Kalash and Bahá’à communities. Meanwhile, a NADRA office will be constructed in Dera Ismail Khan, and K-P confirmed its participation in the Islamabad National Youth Games 2025.
Financial reforms included amendments to healthcare and women’s commission rules, revisions to the Stamp Act of 1899, and an increase in hydropower net revenue shares for dam-affected districts from 10% to 15%.
Additionally, the cabinet sanctioned Rs100 million worth of rations for earthquake victims in Afghanistan.
A government communications strategy was also approved, alongside a briefing on wheat and grain supplies which suggested a stable outlook, though officials pledged to continue procurement if required.
The meeting concluded with prayers for those who lost their lives in the floods and the Afghan quake, as well as for the recovery of the injured.
