PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has failed to utilise funds allocated for the welfare of religious minorities.
So far the provincial government has not been able to issue scholarships to the minority students to continue their education. The government had approved four new development projects. The most important of which is the renovation of religious places of the minority community and the provision of facilities in the residential colonies.
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Similarly, Rs300 million were allocated for the minority community in the current financial years which were supposed to be spent on religious festivals, inter-faith harmony events, capacity building of minority students and youth and their visits to various places.
A scholarships and financial aid plan of Rs200 million was also approved during the current financial years. Similarly, Rs100 million were approved for the welfare of minorities. These projects were also approved by the provincial working and development party but they are still waiting for implementation even after the passage of seven months. The endowment department is reluctant to take practical steps for the utilization of this fund.
The minority students were supposed to receive Rs1.5 million in scholarships. Similarly, a plan was proposed to create vacancies at the divisional level for the minorities and there was a plan to recruit 56 employees and officers. However, according to sources, the Department of Endowments and Minority Affairs have raised objections and now its implementation has been stopped. And so no progress has been made on the projects even after the passage of months.
Expressing concern over the lack of progress in the use of funds by the minority community, the minorities representatives said that most of the festivals of the minority community have passed this year for which no financial support was provided. They requested Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and Assistant Minority Affairs Minister Wazir Zada to expedite the progress and release funds for the uplift projects.