PESHAWAR: The Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) has sanctioned 45 major development projects, valued at over PKR 66 billion, across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, spanning key sectors including agriculture, livestock, transport, infrastructure, irrigation, health, and population welfare.
The approval was given during the PDWP’s fourth meeting, chaired by Additional Chief Secretary (Planning and Development) Ikramullah Khan, with senior officials from the relevant departments in attendance. The projects aim to strengthen public welfare, enhance connectivity, and stimulate provincial economic growth.
In line with directives from Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, the PDWP also endorsed a PKR 1 billion beautification project for Peshawar, which will focus on upgrading road networks, rehabilitating streetlights, expanding green belts, and installing modern urban amenities to improve the city’s aesthetic and functional appeal.
In the agriculture sector, initiatives were approved to promote dryland farming in southern districts, expand sunflower cultivation, and introduce advanced mechanization. For livestock development, the body approved schemes for genetic improvement through artificial insemination and cross-breeding with high-quality foreign breeds, with a particular focus on enhancing livelihoods in the merged districts.
A significant portion of the development budget has been allocated to road and infrastructure improvement, including feasibility studies and construction of new bypass routes such as Kurram Pul–Miranshah (via Kot Brara and Hashni Kala), the dualization of Provincial Highway S-8 in Dera Ismail Khan, and the rehabilitation of the Zafarabad irrigation channel from Dakhan Bypass.
Officials emphasized that these projects reflect the provincial government’s commitment to balanced regional development, improved service delivery, and the creation of sustainable economic opportunities across both settled and merged districts.