The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has established a Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) cell in the Planning and Development Department to improve coordination on business-related activities in the province.
According to a news report, the newly established SIFC cell will operate within the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Unit of the department.
The announcement came during a weekly review meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah on Monday to assess the progress of various initiatives aimed at enhancing governance.
During the meeting, officials also discussed plans for beautifying Peshawar, with a feasibility study set to be completed within three months.
The meeting covered updates on 11 PPP-mode projects across various sectors. The Performance Management and Reforms Unit (PMRU) was tasked with generating and tracking tasks, with weekly progress reports to be presented to the chief secretary.
Additionally, the Tracking Sheet System in the Planning and Development Department was reinstated to monitor the progress of development projects, ensuring they are completed on time.
Chief Secretary Shah emphasized the need for strict adherence to project timelines and urged the expedited approval of pending development schemes.
A briefing on the restructuring of the Performance Management and Reforms Unit was also provided, alongside an update on the Paperless Government System, with MD KP ITB outlining the implementation plan. Shah instructed all departments to be ready for the system’s operational launch by April 30 to enhance e-governance, increase efficiency, and ensure transparency.
The meeting also heard that the E-Pak Acquisition and Disposal System (E-PADS) has been introduced in eight provincial departments, including Public Health Engineering, Irrigation, and Health.
A province-wide rollout is planned for the next phase, with mandatory use of the system for all provincial procurement from July 1, aiming to reduce human intervention and errors.
Updates on various Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) projects were also reviewed, including progress on the Northern Section of the Ring Road, the New General Bus Terminal, and the ongoing work to clear bottlenecks at the Abdara and Tehkal Bala BRT stations, which is currently 60% complete.
