Attock: Balloting was held in Attock for the allocation of mini dams under Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s Agricultural Transformation Plan for the Potohar region, with 65 farmers selected to benefit from a 70 percent government subsidy for construction of mini dams. A total of 289 applications were received from across the district.
Through the transparent balloting process, 65 successful applicants were selected, including 13 from Attock tehsil, 16 from Fateh Jang, 10 from Pindi Gheb, 23 from Jand and three from Hassan Abdal. Under the project, 600 mini dams are planned to be constructed over three years in Rawalpindi Division and Khushab district, with an estimated government support of Rs1.75 million for each dam.
During the first year of the Potohar Agricultural Transformation Plan, 111 mini dams have already been completed, including 49 in Attock district. Addressing the ceremony, chief guest and Chairman Balloting Committee Dr. Pervez Sikandar said agricultural development and farmers’ prosperity were among the key priorities of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, while irrigation remained a major challenge for farmers in the Potohar region.
Dr. Sikandar said the mini dams would help reclaim barren land and bring it under cultivation while encouraging farmers to grow high-value crops and improve their livelihoods. Regional Manager Project Monitoring Unit Muhammad Irfan Mann said the balloting had been conducted in a highly transparent manner and urged farmers to make maximum use of the initiative. Director Soil Conservation Rawalpindi Atiq-ur-Rehman, Director Soil Conservation Dr. Muhammad Abid, Deputy Director Agricultural Information Rawalpindi Haroon Ahmed Khan, other Agriculture Department officials and farmers attended the ceremony.
