PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra on Friday approved 13 projects for Fata, costing over Rs2.5 billion, and directed the authorities concerned to ensure completion of the schemes within the stipulated period.

“There should be no compromise as far as the quality of work and transparent utilisation of resources is concerned,” an official statement quoted the governor as saying.

He was presiding over the 4th quarterly meeting of the Fata Development Committee. Additional Chief Secretary, Fata, Fida Mohammad Wazir, officials of ministry of Safron and the Federal Economic, Development and Research Division were in attendance.

The participants were briefed about the salient features of the projects which mainly related to agriculture development, road construction, education, especially provision of scholarships to students studying in different educational institutions across the country, as well as promotion of literacy rate in Fata.

The Integrated Agriculture Development Programme in Fata was one of the major projects approved on the occasion which is envisaged to increase cultivable area, provide sustainable income source to farming community, promote high value vegetables, improve livelihood in respective areas, enhance socioeconomic condition of farmers and to provide opportunities to young graduates to develop their skills in various disciplines.

Similarly, seven different schemes approved under Fata Infrastructure Development package encompassed construction and blacktopping of different roads in FR Tank, South and North Waziristan Agencies, and FR DI Khan.—Bureau Report