Islamabad; December 24^th, 2019: The National Assembly Standing Committee on States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) met today at 10:30 AM in Committee Room No. 7, Parliament House, Islamabad under the Chairmanship of Mr. Sajid Khan, MNA.

2.         The Committee discussed the issue of doubling of seats in Medical/Dental colleges across the country as announced/ approved by the Cabinet in its meeting held on 2^nd March, 2017, in detail. In this regard, the Secretary Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC), Islamabad informed the Committee while briefing that the notification of 136 seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has already been issued and the increase of seats in other provinces is still awaited as the admitting universities is not yet submitted their inspection forms to the PMC. He further said that he is personally in touch with the VC’s of admitting universities in the provinces and hopefully the inspection forms will be received to the Pakistan Medical Commission by today in office hours. Whereupon the Committee directed to the Secretary PMC to issue the notification regarding doubling of seats in the other provinces within two or three days in order to save the future of FATA students and they may get admission in the Medical Colleges from the current session.

3.         The Chief Engineer, Construction & Works Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa gave presentation on the development schemes in merged areas (Erstwhile FATA). The members of the Committee shown their reservations on the development schemes in merged areas and observed that the development schemes selection/distribution district wise is not done on merit and not consulted the public representatives on these development schemes. The Committee recommended to the Chief Engineer, Construction & Works Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to arrange meeting in the Planning and Development Department for the Committee Members with the Secretary C&W to discuss the development schemes in the merged districts under the Accelerated Implementation Program (AIP).

4.         The Committee was briefed by the representative from TESCO department on the development schemes in merged areas in detail. After detailed briefing, the Committee recommended that the load shedding hours may be reduced and make better arrangements for uninterrupted supply of electricity in the merged areas. The Committee further recommended that the construction work on the proposed/approved Feeders in tribal districts may be expedited in order to complete the said Feeders within the stipulated time. The Committee further recommended that per unit rates of electricity may be subsidized in merged areas (Erstwhile FATA) for domestic and commercial users.   

5.         The meeting was attended by MNAs: Mr. Saleh Muhammad, Mr. Shahid Ahmad, Mr. Gul Dad Khan, Mr. Gul Zafar Khan, Mr. Muhammad Iqbal Khan, Ms. Aliya Hamza Malik, Nawabzada Shah Zain Bughti, Mr. Muhammad Afzal Khokhar, Chaudry Muhammad Ashraf, Mr. Sajid Hussain Turi,             Mr. Muhammad Jamal Ud Din and Mr. Ali Wazir and Officers/Officials of the Ministry and its attached Departments.