PESHAWAR
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government Sunday has strongly rejected recent allegations of irregularities and financial corruption concerning distribution of free solar systems to 130,000 poor and middle-class families.
In an official press statement, the government clarified that the selection of beneficiary families was conducted transparently through an online e-balloting system.
The solar project was launched following the approval of a Technical Committee, which includes representatives from Finance Department, Planning & Development Department, Energy Department, and Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO). This committee held regular consultations regarding the project’s design, cost estimation, and PC-1 approval.
Furthermore, the advance procurement process for project has been initiated under Section 22 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (KPPRA) Act, which permits procurement approval subject to fund availability.
The government also dismissed recent claims by KPPRA about misprocurement, noting that the letter referenced pertains to a penalized party unrelated to this project.
The statement highlighted that several Chinese companies, in collaboration with Pakistani firms, are providing an all-in-one solution ensuring quality workmanship and timely technical execution.
Additionally, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Bank of Khyber (BoK) and PEDO to facilitate timely completion of project.
The cabinet has approved non-ADP summary for this scheme, and Planning and Development Department has forwarded project cost and related matters to Chief Minister for formal approval.
The provincial government has directed concerned departments to expedite advance procurement process along with approval of Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP), aiming to deliver solar energy facilities to the public as soon as possible.
Concluding the statement, the government emphasized that all negative propaganda regarding project is not only unfounded and misleading but also a deliberate attempt to distract public from truth.
