LAHORE: The Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) has approved 10 development schemes covering road infrastructure, industrial development, healthcare, renewable energy and water resources.
The approvals were granted at a meeting chaired by Chairman Planning and Development Board Punjab Dr Naeem Rauf where proposals aimed at improving infrastructure, strengthening industrial skills, upgrading healthcare facilities and promoting solar energy were considered.
Three centres of excellence in technical and industrial fields were approved for Shahdara, Lahore. These include a Centre of Excellence in Advanced Automotive Technologies at a cost of Rs762 million, a Centre of Excellence for a Modern Woodworking Service Centre costing Rs1,010 million and a Centre of Excellence for the Construction Sector with an estimated cost of Rs1,173 million.
The initiatives aim to establish specialised technical facilities and strengthen the availability of modern skills and services in key industrial sectors. The PDWP also approved the revised scheme for rehabilitation of the Gujrat-Sargodha Road in Mandi Bahauddin district at an estimated cost of Rs11,989 million.
Another major project approved was the dualisation of the road from Lilla Interchange on the M-2 Motorway to PD Khan in Jhelum district, with an estimated cost of Rs20,809 million. According to the official press release, the scheme was referred to the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
In the industrial sector, the PDWP approved a revised scheme for providing missing facilities and upgrading PSIC SIES at a cost of Rs2,750 million.
The meeting also approved a revised solarisation scheme for district and sessions courts and high court benches across Punjab, estimated to cost Rs2,610 million. The initiative is aimed at promoting renewable energy use in judicial institutions.
Healthcare infrastructure was also on the agenda, with the approval of a scheme to establish the Nawaz Sharif Medical District at the Sharif Institute of Orthopedics, Spine and Rehabilitation in Lahore at an estimated cost of Rs18,786 million.
The PDWP also considered the revised solarisation scheme for Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) hospitals across Punjab and approved a position paper concerning a change in the type of vehicles to be used under the scheme.
Furthermore, the meeting approved a position paper seeking an extension in the gestation period of the revised Mahota Dam Project.
The meeting was attended by Secretary Planning and Development Board Rafaqat Ali, Chief Economist Dr Farrukh Naveed, members of the board and relevant officers from various provincial departments.
The approvals form part of the provincial government’s development programme for the ongoing fiscal year, covering infrastructure, industrial capacity, healthcare, renewable energy and water-resource development.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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