PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has approved the establishment of Child Protection Units (CPUs) in five newly created districts, increasing the total number of units in the province to 24.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection and Welfare Commission will receive a budget of PKR 119.86 million. The Good Governance Roadmap will use PKR 57 million to establish new units, whereas existing units will receive PKR 62.86 million to strengthen their operations and hire staff and enhance their services.
The new Child Protection Units will be established in Mansehra and Shangla and Malakand and Dera Ismail Khan and Nowshera.
The Social Welfare Department secretary Nazar Hussain Shah described the development as a significant achievement for the province’s child protection system. The CPUs will function as main offices which will detect at-risk children and manage their rehabilitation and return to society.
He explained that the law mandates every district to establish a CPU and the government intends to gradually implement this requirement throughout the entire district system.
Ijaz Muhammad Khan, the Chief of the Child Protection and Welfare Commission, confirmed that the recruitment process will begin once funds are available through ETEA which will select candidates based on merit to establish operational units. The unit staff will include a Child Protection Officer and social case workers and psychologists who will handle complete case management and legal support for children.
“Awam Ka Ehsaas”: KP govt launches open courts initiative
Earlier, the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sohail Afridi, has instructed his provincial cabinet members and secretaries to conduct regular open courts to handle public complaints.
The Chief Minister’s Secretariat letter announces that the provincial government has started open courts as part of its “Awam Ka Ehsaas” program to deliver effective solutions for citizen issues.
The letter states that resolving public issues should be the government’s top priority. The statement explains that open courts should serve as a direct platform for people from all over the province to present their problems.
The new directive requires all departments to schedule open courts which will occur every month. Officials who hold senior positions will participate in these meetings to assess complaints through direct communication while attempting to provide immediate resolutions.
The chief minister has sent a formal letter to cabinet members and secretaries to request implementation reports for his cabinet members. The provincial government believes this action will enhance public interactions with government institutions.
