CDWP approves development projects worth Rs. 33 billion  M Haris

ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has deliberated over 26 development projects worth Rs. 900 billion during its meeting chaired by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan.

Out of these, 17 projects worth Rs. 33 billion have been approved by the CDWP forum, while 9 projects worth Rs. 867 billion have been recommended to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for consideration.

The meeting was attended by Secretary Planning Awais Manzur Sumra, Additional Secretary Planning, members of the Planning Commission, JCE (Ops), JCE (Ep), as well as respective federal secretaries and representatives from federal ministries and provincial governments.

As per details the agenda included discussions on projects in sectors such as Energy, Governance, Health, Higher Education, Information Technology, Agriculture & Food Security, Industries & Commerce, Mass Media, Physical Planning & Housing, Transport & Communication, and Water Resources.

Two projects related to the Agriculture & Food sector, namely the “National Agriculture Productivity Enhancement Programme” worth Rs. 3000 million and the “Pakistan Model Agriculture Research Center” worth Rs. 4000 million, were approved by the forum.

A project in the Energy sector, “Supply of Gas to Localities within 5 km Radius of Gas Producing Fields-SSGCL” worth Rs. 1093.439 million, was also approved.

The “500 kV Matiari–Moro-Rahim Yar Khan Transmission Line” project worth Rs. 188,563.250 million was recommended to ECNEC for further consideration. The project aims to construct a 500 kV double circuit transmission line from Matiari to Moro and Moro to Rahim Yar Khan to overcome constraints in south-to-north power transmission. The National Transmission & Dispatch Company (NTDC) is responsible for operation and maintenance, with financing sourced from NTDC equity, local debt, and foreign debt.

Eight projects related to Transport & Communication were presented, including the “Realignment of KKH from Takhot to Railkot” worth Rs. 4133.930 million, the “Gwadar Blue Economy” worth Rs. 1500 million, and the “Land Acquisition as per Gwadar Master Plan” worth Rs. 3920 million, which were approved by the CDWP forum.

Another major project, the “Revised PC-1 Construction of Lahore-Sahiwal-Bahawalnagar Motorway (Length: 295 Km)” worth Rs. 435,720.821 million, was recommended to ECNEC. This project will be partially financed through a loan from the Korean EXIM Bank. 

Additional projects in the Transport & Communication sector, including the “Construction of Chakdara-Chitral Road Project N-45 Section III Kalkatak Chitral” worth Rs. 10,960.519 million, the “Electrical & Mechanical Works for Lowari Tunnel Project” worth Rs. 37,257.410 million, the “Dualization of Sialkot-Eminabad Road up to Kamoke” worth Rs. 10,688 million, and the “Construction of Border Terminal at Pak-Afghanistan Border Badini” worth Rs. 24,944.80 million, were recommended to ECNEC.

Four projects related to Higher Education were approved, including “Provision of Hostel Facilities for 160 Female Students” worth Rs. 617.503 million and “Establishment of National Institute of Intelligence and Security Studies at Quaid-i-Azam University” worth Rs. 1969.005 million. The “PM’s Youth Internship Program” worth Rs. 27,691.621 million was recommended to ECNEC.

In the Mass Media sector, four projects were approved, including the “Revamping of PTVC” worth Rs. 1969.920 million and the “Upgradation and Replacement of 300 KW Medium Wave Transmission at HPT Khuzdar Balochistan” worth Rs. 1540 million.

A project in the Health sector, the “Quaid-i-Azam Health Tower Islamabad” worth Rs. 15,000 million, was recommended to ECNEC. This project aims to construct a state-of-the-art medical tower to address health service gaps in Islamabad.

In the Industries & Commerce sector, the “Invest Pakistan” project worth Rs. 1,229.929 million was approved, aiming to establish a PMU for hiring qualified HR to enhance SIFC’s institutional strength.

A governance project, “National Economic Transformation and 5Es Unit” worth Rs. 2824.35 million, was also approved. This project aims to facilitate economic growth and innovation.

In the Water Resources sector, the “Feasibility Study of Integrated Development of Chitral, Swat, and Kabul Rivers” worth Rs. 1643.81 million and the “Flood Management Enhancement Project-JICA Grant Initiatives” worth Rs. 118.606 million were approved. The “Rehabilitation and Improvement of Left Bank Outfall Drainage System (IBOD)” worth Rs. 115,463.500 million was recommended to ECNEC.

The meeting, which started on June 25th, continued for three days to enable all the ministries and divisions to secure financing for their projects from the PSDP for the next financial year.