PESHAWAR: The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has launched a landmark rural cleanliness programme of Rs.11 billion to improve sanitation in rural areas.
The programme titled ‘Pak Saaf o Shafaf Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’ will cover all 3,633 village councils (VCs) across the province. For the purpose, the provincial government has already recruited 11,388 sanitation workers -four per VC in the plain areas 2,061 VCs and two per VC in the hilly areas 1,572 VCs.
The programme has been launched formally by the Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur during a ceremony at Chief Minister’s Secretariat.
The hiring process for sanitation workers has been conducted transparently through balloting, with 32,683 applications received and 29,822 candidates declared eligible.
To support the effort, each VC has been provided with a loader rickshaw, uniforms, and sanitation kits. Additionally, new vehicles and machinery worth Rs. 3.6 billion have been procured for Tehsil Municipal Administrations (TMAs), including 392 tractors and 315 mini dumpers, to ensure proper waste disposal. Oversight committees have also been established at the VC level under the Local Government Act to sustain the initiative.
Addressing at the launching ceremony, the Chief Minister said the programme was a true public service project, above politics and political affiliations.
He emphasized that cleanliness is half of faith and lamented that rural areas had long been neglected in this regard. “This programme reflects Imran Khan’s vision of equitable development for all regions,” he noted.
Gandapur added that transparency was ensured at every stage, with no political influence in the recruitment process. “As Chief Minister, I did not interfere in a single hiring, and I am proud of that,” he said.
He underlined that machinery for TMAs was also distributed strictly on merit and data, ensuring fairness across all councils and administrations. “This project belongs to all of us, and together we must make it a success,” he said, adding that a sustainable financial model had been devised for its continuation.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025