Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives (PD&SI)/Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Professor Ahsan Iqbal chaired a meeting of the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) which approved 16 development projects worth Rs 259.68 billion.
“Out of these, the forum approved 9 projects worth Rs 27.40 billion, while it recommended 7 projects worth Rs.232.28 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for its consideration /approval,” a news release said. The meeting was attended by Secretary Planning Awais Manzur Sumra, PIDE Vice Chancellor, Members of the Planning Commission, as well as respective Federal Secretaries, heads of Provincial and P&D representatives from federal ministries and provincial governments.
In his opening remarks, Ahsan Iqbal shared the government’s vision to transform Pakistan into a knowledge economy under the “Uraan Pakistan” initiative.
Highlighting education challenges, he said “Over 25 million children in the country are out of school. The Federal Government, in collaboration with Provinces, will take measures to improve the education sector, including the establishment of Danish Schools in remote areas.”
He paid tribute to Pakistan’s sports talent, declaring Arshad Nadeem a national hero. He remarked, “Despite limited resources, Arshad Nadeem has made the nation proud by winning a gold medal. To honor his achievements, the government is approving the establishment of the ‘Arshad Nadeem/Shahbaz Sharif High-Performance Sports Academy’ at Jinnah Sports Complex Islamabad. This academy will help nurture more athletes like him to represent Pakistan globally.”
Ahsan Iqbal underscored the importance of monitoring and implementation for national progress, directing his ministry to ensure the completion of all development projects and exclude incomplete PC-I and return to the Ministries without any delays.
The CDWP approved five projects including “Establishment of Daanish School at Gilgit Baltistan (Kros Thang Mouza Sarfaranga – Shigar)” worth Rs. 2,962.813 million; “Establishment of Daanish School at Gilgit Baltistan (Sultanabad Jutal)” worth Rs3,004.133 million; “Establishment of Daanish School at Azad Jammu Kashmir (Bhimber)” worth Rs 2,999.045 million; and “Construction of Cadet College Kharan (2nd Revised)” worth Rs 2.945 million after a thorough discussion.
Whereas the forum referred “The Prime Minister’s Pakistan Fund for Education (Pak-PEF),” a significant initiative in the Education & Training sector, to ECNEC for further consideration. With a total worth of Rs. 14,000 million, the project would be financed through the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
A key governance project, titled “Enhancing Public-Private Partnerships in Pakistan (Provincial Support) Project for Sindh – Revised,” worth Rs27,853.845 million, was also referred to ECNEC.
The CDWP okayed a project related to Higher Education namely “Pak-USAID Merit and Need Based Scholarships Program (Phase-II)” worth Rs 2954.808 million.
It also approved a project related to Mass Media namely “Establishment of Arshad Nadeem/ Shehbaz Sharif High Performance Sports Academy at Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad (Prime Minister’s Directive)” worth Rs2678.545 million.
Three projects related to Physical Planning & Housing sector namely “Construction of Eastern Wastewater Treatment Plant 44 MGD of Faisalabad City Phase-I (DANIDA Assisted)” worth Rs53664.210 million were referred to ECNEC.
The forum approved two projects related to the Physical Planning & Housing sector including “Expo Centre Quetta (Revised)” worth Rs 4,829.764 million and “Infrastructure Development of Islamabad Techno Polis” worth Rs1,985.000 million.
It referred a project related to Power sector namely “220 kV Transmission System Network Reinforcement in Islamabad and Burhan Area” worth Rs11315.550 million to ECNEC for further consideration.
The CDWP also referred three projects related to Transport & Communications sector namely “Sindh Flood Emergency Rehabilitation Programme (SFERP-I)” worth Rs. 88404 million to ECNEC. Second project of T&C “Dualization of Rawalpindi-Kahuta Road (28.4 km) Including 4 Lane Bridge Over Sihala Railway Pass, Sihala Bypass & Kahuta Bypass and Land Acquisition, Affected Properties Compensation and Relocation of Utilities for Dualization of Rawalpindi-Kahuta Road (28.4 km) Including 4 lane Bridge Over Sihala Railway Pass, Sihala Bypass & Kahuta Bypass (length: 28.4 KMS)” worth Rs. 23545.021 million was referred to ECNEC for approval.