The year-2017 has remained the most successful year in the development of Gilgit Baltistan in which a number of uplift projects were completed in diversified sectors with major focus on socio-economic uplift, service delivery and reforms for betterment of masses.
Under the leadership of Chief Minister Gilgit Baltistan Hafiz Hafeez Ur Rehman and active sport of federal government, Gilgit Baltistan for the first time, had utilized almost 100% of the allocated funds in the ADP, official sources told APP.
The federal government had allocated Rs7025 million for 2017-18 for GB ADP and PSDP schemes executed by provincial departments to improve the socio-economic conditions of people besides expediting pace of economic development in the province.
Education and health remained the top priorities sectors with allocation of about 63% and 60% more funds than previous year’s utilization.
The education department introduced different structural reforms in schools and inducted new school teachers through NTS and FPSC with a prime objective to provide better education facilities to people at their doorsteps.
Teachers training and refresher courses have been conducted during winter and summer vacations across the province besides effective enrollment campaigns were launched with coordination of school management committees before inception of academic sessions.
The key reform was biometric staff attendance system introduced in all high schools and the same is reported to authorities on daily basis while cellular attendance besides effective monitoring of schools by DEO.
In health sector, with the help of Punjab Govt, CT Scan, MRI and other modern health equipment have established in DHQ hospital Gilgit and Skirdu besides appointment of more than 400 hundreds doctors in the province.
Health insurance programme supported by the German Government has been launched, and the programme has initially been started in four districts and around 40,000 people would be given health insurance cards under the Rs190 million project. This programme will be expanded to other districts in the next phase.
The Prime Minister’s Health Insurance project had already been launched in four other districts of GB i.e Skardu, Kharmang, Shigar and Diamer and under it Rs300, 000 had been given to each deserving people.
Power sector was another top priority area of GB government and efforts was underway to completely eradicated load shedding by next year.
Peace has been restored in GB and the province had achieved the first rank among the most peaceful regions of Pakistan as per Global Peace Index report.
To bolster security, the GB government has installed 285 high-resolution cameras with night vision capability throughout the city as part of the “safe city” project. Equipment for the project was procured in a transparent manner while the project was completed in just four months.
The cameras, which are part of the security plan for CPEC, have night vision capabilities, can auto focus and store recordings for up to four months. The cameras can also detect number plates of vehicles roaming in the city, even during night.
The year 2017 was more important in the field of tourism for GB government, and that more than one million tourists’ locals and foreigners had visited this province during the current season.
The growth in tourists visiting these areas had increased by 25% as compared to last year due to effective measures taken by the government to improve law and order situation in the province.
The regional government in consultation with authorities in Islamabad is formulating polices to promote tourism industry in G-B.
Tourist facilitation and information centers have been set up at Gilgit and Skardu airports and in all districts to help guide the visitors.
Work on Skirdu Juglote road was the long awaited demand of people, was started by PMLN Government costing Rs Rs 40 billion for which a tender was recently awarded to the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO).
The GB Govt has succeeded to a great extend to bring constitutional reforms in GB. Prime Minister of Pakistan had formed a constitutional committee last year, headed by Sartaj Aziz to settle the constitutional status of the region.
After consultations with relevant institutions and GB representatives the committee had prepared a political reforms package and submitted it to the prime minister and GB people would soon get good news about their future status.
For welfare of government employees, GB weather policy has been introduced last month under which more than 40000 employees will be benefited. To eradicate unemployment, the government had declared to fill 70,000 vacant positions soon.
