ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) approved three development projects at a cost of Rs4.74 billion and gave a concept clearance proposal to Emergency Plan for Polio Eradication project at a cost of Rs132 billion.
The CDWP met with Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Dr Mohammad Jahanzeb Khan in the chair at P-Block Secretariat of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives on Wednesday.
The meeting was attended by Additional Secretary, PD&SI, Secretary Ministry of Water Resources, Secretary Ministry of Health, Secretary Ministry of Petroleum, Chairman National Highway Authority, NHA, Members Planning Commission and other key stakeholders.
Dr Jahanzeb while talking to Business Recorder said that the CDWP discussed a total of six development projects. He said that the CDWP approved three development projects at a cost of Rs4.74 billion while it gave concept clearance to one project; an Emergency Plan for Polio Eradication project at a cost of Rs132 billion.
He said that the CDWP also discussed two projects including 300MW floating solar project at Tarbela-Ghazi Barotha complex at a cost of $341.5 million and Punjab Resilient and Inclusive Agriculture Transformation of cost $ 300 million. However, he said that the CDWP did not approve these two projects so far due to some objections. He said that these projects would be approved after the clearance of some objections.
According to the sources, the World Bank (WB) has invited Pakistani authorities for negotiation of $341.5 million loan to set up 300MW floating solar project at Tarbela-Ghazi Barotha complex. They said that the World Bank will also provide $300 million to the government of Punjab for Punjab Resilient and Inclusive Agriculture Transformation (PRIAT) Project.
The CDWP took up the Emergency Plan for Polio Eradication project at a cost of Rs132 billion, Replacement of Obsolete Equipment’s and Procurement of new Electro-Medical Equipment for National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Islamabad worth Rs524.690 million, Expansion and Up-gradation of Pakistan Petroleum Corehouse for its sustainable operations to facilitate oil and gas exploration research worth Rs819.102 million, Establishment of Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Medical College Mirpur worth Rs3,400million.
The Emergency Plan for Polio Eradication project for 5-year in line with the current National Emergency Action Plan for Polio Eradication 2021-23 and GPEI strategy 2022-2026 with a focus on eliminating the Wild Polio Virus and CVDPV2 across the country and achieving post-polio certification. The primary goal of the project is to interrupt wild poliovirus type 1 and circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 transmission as a path to global polio eradication. The program plans to limit circulation to core reservoirs and shared transmission corridors and then interrupt all poliovirus within the reservoirs by 2024.
The Secretary Health informed the forum that the project will be executed for five years to eradicate polio from the country. However, he added that recently two cases of polio were reported in North Waziristan which emerged from neighboring country Afghanistan. He said that due to the porous border polio cases emerged from Afghanistan and that matter was discussed with the Afghan government. He said that Pakistan asked the Afghan government to conduct a door-to-door polio campaign and secure the border in order to avoid further polio cases.
The CDWP also approved the Expansion and Up-gradation of Pakistan Petroleum Corehouse for its sustainable operations to facilitate oil and gas exploration research at the cost of Rs819.102 million. The Ministry of Petroleum is the executing agency and the project envisages expansion of Pakistan Petroleum Core house to increase its storage capacity, upgrade its laboratory facilities for analytical services and value addition of well samples archived in it to facilitate oil and gas exploration. The Expansion of PETCORE building with an additional racking system with storage material (standard wood pulp cardboard boxes and vial trays) for well samples and up-gradation of existing lab facilities through procurement of state-of-the-art equipment will provide necessary services to the E&P sector. The scope of work includes expansion of Pakistan Petroleum Corehouse through the construction of new storage capacity (29,064 sq ft), up-gradation of laboratory facilities for analytical services and value addition of well samples.
The CDWP approved the Replacement of Obsolete Equipment’s and Procurement of new Electro-Medical Equipment for the National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Islamabad at a cost of Rs524.690m. The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination is the executing agency.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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