KP sport, tourism, youth, culture, archaeology budget reaches 12bln, records 300 times increase

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A record 300 percent increase in sports, tourism, youth and culture budget-2021-22 for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was recorded as the allocation reached to Rs. 12 billion for fiscal year 2021-2022.
The allocation was reached to 12 billion from the Rs2.9b of the last fiscal year with Rs. 3000 million new mega project of sports development at the union councils in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Rs. 500 million new project in merged have been included following the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan to provide sports infrastructure at every union council level. Besides one each in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and merged areas, allocation has also been made for the 113 ongoing projects.
According to detail given by the Provincial Minister for Finance in his budget speech in the provincial assembly, he said, in the budget-2021-22, Rs. 6.3 billion is in the Annual Development Program for KP with 2.7 billion is for Accelerated Integrated Program for merged areas and Rs. 700 million ADP for the sports promotion and activities in merged areas.
The new schemes of the merged Rs. 500 million merged area to have Playground facilities at every Union Council level of the merged and Rs. 3000 million new mega project to have similar facilities in each Union Council level in Khyber have been included.
He disclosed that another key ongoing project would exceed to Rs. 1000 million to have a dedicated and separate female indoor gymnasium in all Divisional Headquarters including merged areas to be equipped with multiple facilities in order to ensure equal playing facilities according to the decision of the Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan.
He said, the ongoing development budget is Rs. 2,935 million, developmental Rs. 14,495 million, foreign funded Rs. 3, 120 million with a total of Rs. 20, 550 million. He disclosed that looking after the potential of the tourism and to explore it by generating more revenue, the Govt has increased tourism and culture allocation grant of in the budget-2021-22 from 2 billion to a 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 to facilitate the tourists construction of roads at Malakand and Hazara are included in the budget besides exploring the tourism potential, preserving Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor’s ancestral homes, including 3.8 billion of innovation fund 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 for the preservation for culture heritage, equipping every Division Headquarters with a separate indoor gymnasium for female for the promotion and facilitating female players of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, developing of Hund Water Park of to be developed 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, sports complexes would be developed as par with international standard in Bajaur and Southern district Kohat where a state of the art Sports Complex would soon be developed on which construction work is continued.
The Finance Minister said that construction of Sports Complexes at District Chitral at the cost of Rs. 100,000 million, development of Swat, Chitral, Mardan, Hund, Dir and Bunner Museum with cost of Rs. 58.470 0.000, up-gradation of Archaeological Complex at Gor Gathri, Artisan Village and Conservation of Wall City Rs. 677.328 0.000, repair and rehabilitation of Mahabat Khan Mosque Peshawar Rs. 18.567 0.000, construction of Hazara Museum at Abbottabad Rs. 52.000, promotion, preservation and development of Kalash Culture Rs. 68.3120.000, establishment of ATC Branch in the Directorate of Archaeology Rs. 8.000, land acquisition of Rs. 23.674 0.000 for development of National Heritage sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The provincial govt has also taken a step for the documentation of British period Rs. 1.290 0.000, conservation of Heritage and Skill Development in District Charsadda Rs. 150 million. He said, construction of Sports Complex at Sub-Tehsil Rustam, District Mardan Rs. 130.000.