BARA: Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Muhammad Saleem Khan on Tuesday inaugurated Bara Ghee Mill in Khyber tribal district which was closed for the last 15 years due to militancy.
According to correspondent TNN, the ghee mill is situated in Dogra area of Bara Tehsil and before its closure; it has employed hundreds of tribal people. According to Haji Nisar Afridi, owner of Bara Ghee Mill, the mill had provided millions of rupees to the government in taxation and more than 200 families were provided jobs.
The inaugural program was attended by the leader of Awami National Party (ANP) Senator Ilyas Bloor, Member National Assembly (MNA) constituency NA-44 Haji Iqbal Afridi, former president of Federal of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Ghazanfar Bilour and secretary MNA Hamid Naeem and other notable people of the area.
On the occasion, the Chief Secretary said that before the merger of tribal districts with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, there was an annual fund of about Rs 24 billion for the tribal districts while now over Rs 100 billion are kept annually for the uplift of the tribal belt. He added they would be massive work in the social sector in a ten-year program However; there are endless resources in the tribal districts which can utilized for the uplift of tribal people.
Chief Secretary said that district Khyber will become trade hub as Torkham border will be open 24 hours after Imran Khan’s visit as now more than twice the number of trade vehicles can pass.
Saleem Khan said the government is launching Rs 1.5 billion micro-finance schemes in the tribal districts which will provide free loans and employment opportunities. He said that industry zones would be set up in the tribal districts to protect the local people from unemployment.
At the inauguration, manufacturers and traders demanded the government non-stop supply of gas and electricity so that the industries remain operations for 24 hours.
