Eight projects worth Rs31.44bn approved by CDWP

Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has approved as many as eight development projects at cost of Rs 31.44 billion and recommended three projects valued at Rs 40.22 billion to Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) for consideration.

The CDWP met with Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan in the chair here at Planning Commission on Monday. Secretary Planning Zafar Hasan and senior officials from federal and provincial governments were also present in the meeting.

Projects related to devolution & area development, energy, governance, physical planning & housing, science & technology, transport & communications, and water resources were presented in the meeting.

A project related to energy namely "Provision of Electricity for Dhabeji Special Economic Zone (SEZ) project Phase-1" at cost of Rs 3,941.85 million was approved by CDWP. The main objective of this project is to facilitate the electrification of 220 kV Dhabeji SEZ grid station to supply ultimate load of 250 MW under the applicable provisions of the NEPRA rules and regulations to DSEZ. A project related to Devolution & Area Development namely "Balochistan Livelihood Entrepreneurship Program" at cost of Rs 7,900 million was approved in the meeting. The overall objective of the project is to promote employment opportunities and sustainability of enterprises in eight districts of Balochistan which are affected by prolonged refugee presence. This project will benefit rural households by promoting livelihoods through enterprise development. Two projects related to governance were presented in the meeting. The first project was "Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Mobilization and public Resource Management Program (TA)" worth Rs 2,828.70 million was approved in the meeting. Second project of governance is "Pakistan Raises Revenue Project (formally called Domestic Resource Mobilization Program)" at cost of Rs 12.48 billion was referred to ECNEC. The proposed Technical Assistant Component will support FBR to improve ICT infrastructure i.e. installation of ICT equipment, tools, skills and software, customs inspections, consulting and non- consulting services for software development etc.

A project related to physical planning & housing titled "Sanitary Sewerage System with Treatment Plant for Gilgit City," worth Rs 3,363.975 million, was presented and approved in the meeting.

Two projects related to science & technology namely "Establishment of a Center for Artificial Intelligence in Health Science" worth Rs 321.450 million were approved by the CDWP.

As many as four projects related to transport & communications were presented in the meeting. First project titled "Special repair of 600 passenger coaches and 1,200 bogie wagons," worth Rs 2,720 million, was approved and the second project titled "special repair of 100 diesel electric locomotives for improving the reliability/ availability of running locomotives," worth Rs 8 billion, was referred to ECNEC. Another two projects on "Dualization of road from Bahawalpur-Yazman Road to Chandni Chowk, district Bahawalpur," worth Rs 2,793.606 million, and "Dualization of road from GT Road to Gujarat Dinga Road, and Gujrat Flyover, length 31 km, in district Gujarat" worth Rs 7575.019 million, were also approved by the CDWP.

Project related to water resources namely "Winder Dam Project," worth Rs 15.231 billion, was referred to the ECNEC for further approval. A position paper "Construction of Judicial and Administration Complex in Mauve Area, Islamabad," worth Rs 537.873 million, was also approved by the CDWP.