PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has said his government is to unveil a tax-free and pro-poor budget forthenexthscalonJune7.

He said this while presiding over a high-level consultative meeting called at the Chief Minister`s House on Monday to discuss the provincial budgetary proposals and annual development programme for 2017-18, said a statement issued here.

The CM said the government would enhance the salary and fringe benefits of its employees and would work on the building of their capacity besides pursuing the agenda of empowering the poor people.

He referred to certain steps in the context of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project saying they will boost industrialisation in the province.

`We are working to improve the basic elements required for investment in the province.

A coordination committee consisting of home, police and planning and development depart-ments has already been constituted to coordinate for efficient security to the investors.

`These efforts will enhance the security level for the investors and speed up economic oriented activities andthus, creating more jobs for jobless in the province,` he said.

Mr Khattak said the forces of status quo were receiving the last blows in the battle with the forces of anti-status quo and that his government took the power from the powerful and gave it to the poor to make their own decisions.

The participants examined the proposed ADP for the next fiscal and approved the developmental sketch of the schemes.

They also approved 58 new and ongoing schemes for education sector, including the establishment of 10 new postgraduate colleges.

The CM approved transport facility and two public libraries for colleges in the province.

The missing facilities in the colleges were properly tal(en care of in the new schemes of thing, the meeting was told.

The meeting approved 30 schemes for agriculture sector development which included 17 ongoing and 13 new schemes.

The CM directed the of ficials to focus on agriculture sector development including conversion of tubewells to solarisation.

There will be 36 schemes for the forest depart-ment in the new ADP.

The meeting approved the third phase of the Billion Tree Tsunami Afforestation Programme and approved 12 schemes for the food department. It also gave nod to 53schemes for youths.

The officials told the meeting that the new budget would provide resources for completing work on the Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium on fast track basis.

They however said resources for the creation of facilities in the Rustam Sports Complex Mardan would be gradually increased.

The officials said work on 158 sports grounds had been initiated and the construction of 85 grounds had already entered the final phase.

The CM said from the new fiscal year, his government would restart giving monthly stipend to poets and literary figures Rs30,000 per month. The meeting approved 59 schemes for home department and 19 schemes for Haj and religious affairs departments.

The officials said the project for solarisation of mosques was being shifted to the energy and power department, while the energy and power department would have 28 ongoing and 26 new schemes.

They said in light of energy crisis, the public health, street and road lights schemes were being shifted to solarisation.