Secretary Sports, Tourism, Youth Affairs and Culture, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Tariq Khan Monday said that the allocations for sports, tourism, culture and youth affairs have registered 300 percent increase from Rs 1.2 billion in 2013 to Rs 10.6 billion in 2018.
In 2008 to 2013 there was a total of 186 developmental schemes for which Rs 3175 million allocated by the then government but now we have completed 249 various developmental schemes which cost Rs 10 billions.
Unveiling detail of the five year plan year wise, Muhammad Tariq Khan disclosed that in year 2013-14 there were 42 schemes that cost Rs730.505 million, followed by 44 more schemes in 2014-15 at the cost of Rs 1134.061 million, in 2015-16 a total of 55 schemes cost Rs 1551.361 million, followed by 54 more schemes with a expenditures of Rs 22.57.572 million and in 2017-18 54 schemes have been completed with the cost of Rs 2150mn, giving an aggregated total of Rs 10 billions.
He said a total of 112 developmental schemes only for sports that included 55 play grounds at Tehsil level, 20 playgrounds at schools level, 19 sports complex wherein 70 rehabilitations projects were initiated out of which 21 have been completed and the other 23 are near to completion well before December this year.
Besides this the ongoing projects comprising Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium (Rs 1.3 billion), laying of hockey turfs at Kohat, Dera Ismail Khan, Charsadda and Peshawar at the cost of Rs 360 million, Tartan Track for Athletics at Kohat, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan at the cost of Rs 320 million, state of the arts gymnasium in Nowshera and Abbottabad at the cost of Rs 225 million and Rs 203 million, construction of Sports Complex at Swabi (Rs 200 million), Kohat (Rs 167 million), Mardan (Rs 241 million), nine modern synthetic Tennis courts - four in Pakistan Tennis Club Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium, Three Tennis courts at Hayatabad Sports Complex and two in Qayyum Sports Complex with cost of Rs 360 million, four squash courts complex in Qayyum Sports Complex that cost Rs 100 million.
Showing a complete list of the grounds that handed over to the Directorate of Sports KP, Muhammad Tariq Khan said that the government has also achieved completion of 100 grounds including 55 newly constructed playground all across the province comprising two grounds each in Peshawar, Kohat, Hangu, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Abbottabad, Malakand, Chitral, Haripur, three playgrounds each in Charsadda, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, Karak, four playgrounds in Dera Ismail Khan, six playing grounds each in Swat, Dir Lower, one ground each in Tank, Manshera, Batagram, Turgar, Buner and Kohistan.
In the newly constructed 19 Sports Complexes comprising Hayatabad Sports Complex, construction of new pavilion at Qayyum Sports Complex, nine synthetic tennis courts, Abdul Wali Khan Sports Complex, Charsadda Sports, laying of hockey turf at Mardan Sports Complex, Sports Complex at Bam Khail, Swabi, Sports Complex at Bili Tang Kohat, Badminton Hall Karak, hockey turf at Qazi Mohib Hockey Stadium, playground in Miro Khail, Bannu, Volleyball court at Sarai Norang, Sports Hostel for 100 players at Dera Ismail Khan, playing ground at Ayubia, Sports Gymnasium at Haripur, Gymnasium in Makan Bagh, Swat, Indoor Complex at Dir Bala and play ground in Kasht Chitral.
Tariq Khan said that they had achieved a more bigger project of holding three different edition of the Under-23 Games in 2016 which cost Rs 120 million wherein 6000 male and female athletes participated, in 2017 the number of athletes increased to 8000 that cost Rs 160 million and in 2018 the number of athletes increased to a record 11500. The Games cost 183 million and already allocated Rs 270 million for the fourth edition to be organized in January 2019 where the strength of the athletes accede to 14000 male and female.
He also lauded the performance of the Directorate of Sports KP for the promotion of sports besides allocating Rs 35 million sports scholarship this year-2018 and Rs 15 million have already been distributed among position holders' players of the 2016 and 2017 editions. He said there was Rs 2.7 billion in 2008-13 and now it has increased to Rs 10.6 billion, an increase of 300 percent in 2013-18. "We have also succeeded in highlighted a soft image not only of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but the whole of Pakistan to the rest of world through different culture activities. We had introduced tourism, youth and sports policies and alongside construction of 100 grounds, Rs 500 million distributed among young entrepreneur so that they could be enable to start their small business, organized 148 tourism promotion activities, development and rehabilitated five tourism spots, pavement of roads with the cost of Rs 2.7 billion at Kalam, Narran, Khaghan, development 11 archeological sites at cost of Rs 280 million, introducing Rs 30,000 Honorarium to 500 artists.