PESHAWAR, The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government allocated some Rs 12 billion for Sports, Tourism, Youth, Culture and Archaeology Department in provincial budget 2021-22, showing 300 percent increase than the last year’s allocation of Rs 2.90 billion.
Following the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan to provide sports infrastructure at grass roots level, about Rs 3 billion were earmarked for the new mega project of sports development at Union Council level across the province, along with allocation of Rs 500 million for the merged tribal districts, besides allocation of huge amount for the 113 ongoing projects in the province.
The minister in his budget speech in the provincial assembly, said that , Rs 6.3 billion was earmarked in the budget 2021-22 for the Annual Development Program for the province with Rs 2.7 billion for Accelerated Integrated Program for merged areas, including Rs 700 million for the sports promotion and activities.
He said that a key project was already underway to have a dedicated and separate female indoor gymnasium at all divisional headquarters, including the merged areas, to be equipped with multiple facilities in order to ensure equal playing facilities according to the decision of KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan. Its cost would exceed to Rs one billion, he added.
He said that keeping in view the tourism potential, the government had increased tourism and culture allocation grant in the budget-2021-22 from Rs 2 billion to record Rs 12 billion for the completion of the key projects, including Madaklasht Chair Lift, Pakistan’s first motor sports arena, Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium, Hayatabad Cricket Stadium and International Cricket Stadium in Kalam.
He said that the construction of roads in Malakand and Hazara were included in the budget, besides preserving Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor’s ancestral homes. Rs 3.8 billion of innovation fund had been set up for the youth, women and entrepreneurs, construction of jeep tracks for tourist bearing areas and establishment of small business for youth and providing of interest free loan to the youth to set up their own businesses.
He said the budget allocations made for the preservation for culture heritage, equipping every divisional headquarters with a separate indoor gymnasium for female players, developing of Hund Water Park over 400 kanals of land, besides establishment of Integrated Tourism Zones with the aim to explore tourism potential that the province have in the merged tribal areas.
In the merged area, he said that sports complexes would be developed at par with international standard in Bajaur and southern district of Kohat. The work on a state of the art sports complex in Kohat was already in progress.
The minister said that sports complexes would be constructed at District Chitral at the cost of Rs. 100,000 million, besides development of Swat, Chitral, Mardan, Hund, Dir and Buner museums for Rs 58.470 million,
up-gradation of Archaeological Complex at Gor Gathri, Artisan Village and Conservation of Wall City to be carried out at the cost Rs 677.328 million, repair and rehabilitation of Mahabat Khan Mosque Peshawar for Rs 18.567 million, construction of Hazara Museum at Abbottabad for Rs. 52.000 million,
promotion, preservation and development of Kalash Culture for Rs 68.312 million, establishment of ATC Branch in the Directorate of Archaeology for Rs 8 million and land acquisition of Rs 23.674 million for development of national heritage sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
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