PESHAWAR: The Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) on Wednesday approved several projects with an estimated cost of over Rs40 billion, and deferred five schemes due to inadequate designs.

The approval came at a meeting chaired by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa additional chief secretary Dr Hammad Owais Agha, according to a handout.

The meeting decided to set up Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical College in Peshawar, Khyber Institute of Neuro Sciences and Clinical Research in Mardan and upgrade rural health centre in Oghi to category-D hospital.It accorded approval to four projects in elementary and secondary education, which included provision of sports equipment to middle schools, construction of 200 higher secondary schools, provision of facilities in education institutions for improving security and physical learning environment, and construction of five cluster hostels for females on need basis.

The PDWP meeting approved establishing an endowment fund for public sector universities. It approved constructing play lands in parks.

Three projects in water sector were also approved, which included setting up a planning and monitoring cell in irrigation department, restoration of damaged channels and remodeling of Warsak Canal.