PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet has approved the distribution of Rs5.7 billion cash handouts to more than half a million families under the Ramazan Packageacross the province.

It decided that Rs1,000 cash would be distributed to 575,000 families each in the month of fasting, with 5,000 families from each of the 115 provincial assembly constitutions.

Also, a cell will be established at the Chief Minister`s Secretariat to keep prices of essential commodities under control, and check hoarding and profiteering, according to an official statement issued on Friday.

The cabinet meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur and attended by ministers, advisers, special assistants, additional chief secretaries, senior member board of revenue, and administrativesecretaries.

The chief minister directed cabinet members to maintain a close contact with the people at grassroots level to ensure thatnobody took undue benefit from the needs of the people during the holy month.

He also said that all legislators would be asked to help prepare lists of deserving families so that the aforementioned assistance reached deserving families without any discrimination.

According to the statement, Mr Gandapur directed cabinet members to ensure their visits to eachand every corner ofthe province, interact with the people at large and include their inputs in their proposals for the next annual development program.

He said work should beginfor preparing the next year`s Annual Development Programme, particularly when the provincial government had come out of the `ructions` of throw forward liabilities.

Mr Gandapur asked cabinet members to ensure their recommended schemes are viable, self-sustainable, and beneficial for people.

The cabinet also decided to exempt `humanitarian cargo (international shipments) bythe World Food Programme through Torkham in transit trade with Afghanistan through custom stations located in the province and reduced the infrastructure development cess in respect of the transit trade with Afghanistan at the rate of one per cent of the value of goods imported to the province.

It approved a police station for the special investigation wing of the anti-corruption establishment with the entire province as its jurisdiction.

The cabinet approved conversion of the provincial government`s MI-17 helicopter into an air ambulance, including provision of Rs150 million costs, and directed the aviation wing of the administration department to modify the helicopter as per ambulance requirement and its operation by Rescue 1122.

It also extended the `D-Talk and Insulin for Life` project with the help of a $5 millionforeign grantfor provision offree insulin injection and medicines to people with diabetes in the province, with a focus on needy patients.

Currently, 85,789 patients are registered under the project in 22 districts through 26insulin banks across the province, the statement said.

Mr Gandapur warned that diabetes was spreading in the province at an alarming rate.

He ordered the launch of public awareness campaigns on the issue.

The cabinet approved the upgradation of Irnum Pet-CT/Cyclotron project, aimed at uplifting the infrastructure and provision of diagnostic facilities in therapeutic cancer treatment to the patients.

It extended the tenure of the female technocrat member for the Local Government Commission, which is one of the statutory organs, defined in the Local Government (Amendment) Act, 2013, to perform assigned functions as mentioned in Section 55 of the Act.

The cabinet also granted approvalto the creation of one post of finance manager (BPS16) and three posts of coach (BPS-16) in the sports department.

It approvedan amendment to the KP Promotion Policy, 2009, authorising the KP Provincial Services Academy for MCMC training and deferment of promotion in cases of non-declaration of assets and non-filing of income tax returns.