PESHAWAR:The Khyber Pakthunkhwa Government has distributed about 700,000 poultry birds among poor people under the Prime Minister’s Backyard Poultry Program worth Rs834 million in the province.
Dr. Aftab Ahmed, Project Incharge “PM’s Poverty Alleviation Through Development of Rural Poultry’ told reporter that work on the four-year project was successfully underway in Khyber Pakthunkhwa including merged tribal districts where about seven lakh poultry birds of the quality breed including five hens and one cock have been distributed at the rate of Rs1,050 per unit among poor people, women and underprivileged.
KP Government’s share is Rs643 million while the Federal Government’s contribution is Rs 16 million and Rs175 million to be generated from the beneficiary. Started in 2018, the project would continue till 2022 under which one million poultry birds would be distributed among 167,000 poorer and women in the province.
Despite COVID-19, he said distribution of poultry units continued in KP including seven merged tribal districts, adding target of distribution of remaining 300,000 would be achieved by end of this year subject to availability of funds.
Keeping in view of people’s overwhelming interest, he said the department considered extending the project with a target to distribute an additional one million poultry birds among poorer and women if funds were provided. Besides KP, he said the project was also successfully underway in Punjab, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan, and Islamabad.
The project was approved by the Prime Minister after a series of consultations and meetings by the Agriculture and Livestock Task Force with relevant stakeholders, regional and provincial departments in the PTI Government’s first 100 days aimed at revamping this vital sector for benefits of the common man.