Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, on Sunday inaugurated the start of construction work on the Arghandi Transport Terminal in Paghman District of Kabul Province.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Acting Minister of Transport and Aviation, Mullah Hamidullah Akhundzada, representatives from the private sector, and a number of local residents.

Baradar said the initiative was a vital step in the development of transport infrastructure in the country.

He stated that the development and expansion of transport infrastructure is an essential step toward economic growth, national development, and domestic and regional connectivity.

According to him, decades of war and corruption resulted in the sector having been neglected.

He said existing infrastructure has deteriorated due to poor quality construction; public lands have been usurped by individuals; and that highways and roads have been significantly narrowed.

Baradar also pointed out the need for investment in the transport sector; for the recovery of usurped state land; and the identification and restoration of original roads. He said these factors were among the core national objectives of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

In line with these goals, construction work on the Arghandi Transport Terminal got underway on Sunday.

Baradar said the Islamic Emirate is not only firmly committed to the development and expansion of transport infrastructure but is also actively pursuing other fundamental strategic objectives.

The Arghandi Transport Terminal in Kabul Province will be constructed on approximately 900 jeribs of land and will cost about 1.285 billion afghanis.

The project is expected to be completed by the private sector within two years.

Upon completion, the terminal will enhance transportation facilities, play a key role in improving the efficiency and organization of logistics and transit operations, reduce transportation costs and traffic congestion, and provide employment opportunities to a large number of citizens.

Bayat Foundation distributed food packages to dozens of needy families in Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province this weekend.

The packages included flour, rice, and cooking oil.

Officials of Bayat Foundation in Balkh said that aid distribution will continue in other provinces of the country until the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

“In continuation of Bayat Foundation’s assistance, this time we have distributed our Ramadan aid in Mazar-e-Sharif, which includes flour, rice, and cooking oil, and God willing, this assistance will continue,” Yafes Saqib, Bayat Foundation representative in Balkh, said.

Meanwhile, beneficiaries welcomed the distribution of the aid packages, saying that Bayat Foundation has played an important role in reaching out to the poor, the needy, and in reducing poverty.

“We are very happy. It is the month of Ramadan. May God help anyone who helps us poor people,” Aynuddin, an aid recipient, said.

“I don’t have a breadwinner in my family. On Thursdays, I go and collect Pepsi cans to find bread for my children,” Zarmina, another aid recipient, said.

The assistance comes at a time when international organizations have warned of increasing poverty in the country.