43 meeting of KP Cabinet held, reforms for street vendors announced
PESHAWAR (APP): The 43rd meeting of the Provincial Cabinet was held on Friday here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Suhail Afridi wherein several important decisions were taken.
The meeting was attended by cabinet members, Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Additional Chief Secretary Home, Senior Member Board of Revenue, administrative secretaries, and Advocate General.
Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Information and Public Relations, Shafi Jan, while briefing the media about the cabinet decisions, said that important decisions were taken in the meeting regarding the province’s social and economic development, law and order, and governance.
He said that the provincial cabinet has approved the Ehsaas Rehri Ban (Street Vendors) Livelihood Protection Act 2025, which will soon be presented in the provincial assembly.
The purpose of this law is to ensure the protection of the rights of street vendors. Under the law, designated spaces will be allocated in every city for street vendors where they can conduct their business in a better environment.
He said that around 150,000 people in the province are associated with street vending, and with legal protection, street vending will gain the status of a formal business, creating easy employment opportunities.
After the enforcement of the Ehsaas Rehri Ban law, street vendors will also be able to benefit from various government loan schemes for their businesses.
The cabinet has approved the establishment of a new district named Upper Swat, with its headquarters in Matta.
He said that a decision has been made to form a committee to prevent smog in Peshawar, which will review the situation and present its recommendations. After that, steps will be initiated for permanent solutions, including the introduction of electric rickshaws, increasing tree plantation and greenery, and taking other administrative measures.
To curb terrorism, the cabinet has approved measures to enhance the capacity of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and the Special Branch. In this regard, a package of Rs. 17 billion has been approved for the CTD, out of which Rs. 7 billion will be released immediately, while Rs. 14 billion approved for the Special Branch. These funds will be used for the purchase of weapons, armored vehicles, new recruitments, and the establishment of offices.
The cabinet has also approved the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Promotion of Digital Payments Bill 2025, under which 170 government services will be shifted to digital payments over a period of two years. In the first phase, 21 services will be brought under the digital payment system.
The cabinet has approved the transfer of land to the Labour Department for the establishment of a 20-bed polyclinic hospital for Social Security Institute employees in Dera Ismail Khan. Similarly, a non-ADP scheme approved for land for a graveyard in Mansehra.
He said that the provincial cabinet has also approved the establishment of the Chief Secretary Service Delivery Unit, additional cost for the upgradation and construction project of the Women and Children Hospital in Haripur, and the appointment of the Chief Executive Officer of the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization
Addressing the provincial cabinet, Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Suhail Afridi said that the release of promised funds for the province under the NFC Award, which were to be released on a quarterly basis for the fiscal year 2025–26 is awaited.
Due to the non-provision of funds, development projects in the merged districts are being affected. The Chief Minister said that despite this situation, the provincial government is making every possible effort to ensure that the people of the merged districts do not face any hardship and that development and welfare activities continue within the available resources.
Regarding governance, the Chief Minister said that he himself has begun field visits and has directed all provincial ministers and their secretaries to mandatorily carry out field visits to their assigned districts and relevant departments every fifteen days.
He said that field visits help restore public trust and ensure effective checks and balances. He added that in the next cabinet meeting, a detailed briefing will be taken from the Chief Secretary on the Good Governance Roadmap prepared by the provincial government, and the cabinet will be fully informed.
