The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has announced the launch of a free meal program for children in public sector primary schools. This initiative will provide meals to primary school children in urban areas across all divisional headquarters of the province.
The decision was made during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur. Attendees included Provincial Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Faisal Khan Tarakai, Adviser to the Chief Minister on Finance Muzamil Aslam, Additional Chief Secretary Planning and Development Syed Imtiaz Hussain Shah, and Chief Executive Officer of Allahwale Trust, Shahid Lone, among others, according to an official statement from the Chief Minister’s Office on Monday.
Initially, the program will be piloted in Abbottabad and Swat, with plans to expand to other divisional headquarters. The initiative aims to provide free and quality food to around 70,000 children daily and is estimated to cost Rs500 million annually, which will be funded by the provincial government.
The social welfare department will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with a private welfare organization for the program’s implementation.
Chief Minister Gandapur highlighted that the program is an important welfare initiative of his government, expected to boost enrollment in government schools. He emphasized that spending resources on the people aligns with the vision of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and more such welfare projects are planned.
Mr. Gandapur instructed the relevant authorities to finalize the action plan swiftly for effective implementation.
