Through improved access to social services: NTDC prepares community support programme for development

National Transmission and Despatch Company(NTDC), Pakistan prepared a community support programme to support local development through improved access to social services and infrastructure for communities living in the Corridor of Impact of CASA 1000. Community Support Programme will be implemented with the help of the World Bank.
According to official sources, Transmission Line, thereby generating local support for the construction and long term operation of CASA 1000 Transmission Line Project, which will be increased a number of households benefiting from energy supply; be increased availability of community infrastructure benefiting communities and be improved household access to selected social services for communities.
According to a project report of the World Bank, the Community and Capacity Development Support Programme will provide $10 million for this project. The WB report mentioned that the CASA 1000 electricity transmission and trade project is one initiative between Central Asian and South Asian countries that has emerged from a strategic dialogue to create a regional energy market. The World Bank is supporting this transformational regional project that aims to establish the necessary infrastructure and systems to trade roughly 1,300MW of electricity from Central Asia to South Asia-including 1,000MW to Pakistan and 300MW to Afghanistan. The World Bank's technical and financial support to this multi-country project has paved the path to energy trading between the two regions and set the stage for further initiatives towards regional economic integration. The main infrastructure proposed under CASA 1000 is a Transmission Line (TL) that will extend over 430km in Kyrgyzstan, cover 120km in Tajikistan, 560km in Afghanistan and about 70km in Pakistan. This project will play a crucial role in establishing a regional mechanism for electricity trade and will provide electricity to meet Pakistan and Afghanistan's energy needs.
Presently, the WB report pointed out that Pakistan is faced with significant challenges including poverty, low economic growth, instability and natural disasters. Since 2008, economic growth has averaged 3 percent per annum. Some underlying reasons for slow growth are inadequate market development and lack of public sector management. National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) will launch social mobilisation programme worth $1.5 million. The social mobilisation process will need to first identify the constituent sub-groups of the village in the COI and work with them as CASA Village Committees. A similar approach would need to be followed in the village settlements within the TL route that lie in Peshawar district.
The social mobilisation approach will ensure that the communities are informed about the Project and support the design and implementation of the TL. Component of Community infrastructure and services will be completed with the cost of $7 million. This component will also focus on providing access to small infrastructure and making it operational.