The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has approved 28 development schemes costing Rs 5.5 billion and forwarded 17 projects valuing Rs 76.7 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) for approval.
The CDWP, which met here on Tuesday with Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Dr Akram Sheikh in the chair, considered 45 projects while 10 other schemes were deferred due to some technical reasons, said spokesman for the Planning Commission, Mohammad Asif Sheikh, briefing reporters after the meeting.
He said that total net cost of the 45 projects was Rs 49.3 billion, as cost of some of the already approved projects had been revised upward. He said that total foreign exchange component had been estimated at Rs 23.6 billion.
Flanked by Asad Ali Shah and Major General Zuber, members of the Planning Commission, and other officials, Asif said that 21 projects worth Rs 24.4 billion were approved in infrastructure sector, 13 schemes costing Rs 10.8 billion in social sector and 11 projects costing 11.7 billion were approved in other sectors.
He said that four projects, valuing Rs 1.7 billion, were approved for Punjab. Six projects each for Sindh and NWFP costing Rs 11.8 billion and 8.3 billion respectively, seven projects for Balochistan valuing Rs 4.5 billion and one project costing Rs 0.3 billion were approved for Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The CDWP approved total 21 projects costing Rs 55.6 billion, said Asif Sheikh. Out of four projects for Punjab, one project was approved on 50:50 cost sharing basis. The federal government will provide Rs 36 million for metalled road in District Layyah.
Three projects in Sindh will be financed through Prime Minister''s ''Thar Development Package'' for which funds have already been released. The remaining three projects including Water Sector Improvement Project will be financed by the provincial government. Of the six projects in NWFP, the provincial government will finance one project.
Of seven projects in Balochistan, the federal government and Balochistan government have agreed on cost sharing formula under which the federal government will provide 80 percent funds. One project located in AJK will be financed by the AJK government from the funds provided by the federal government as block allocation in budget each year.
Umbrella PC-1 for the Development of Marble Granite Sector costing Rs 1.9 billion, Establishment of Ceramic Ware Development Centre valuing Rs 0.22 billion, Development projects of Pakistan Gems & Jewellery Development Company costing Rs 1.4 billion were approved. Asif said that the company would be set up.
Among other projects were Consultancy Services for Feasibility Study and Detail Design of four storage dams in Balochistan with a cost of Rs 30 million and Institutional Capacity Building of Power Distribution Companies (DISCOS) of Rs 160 million. Rs 452 million project of Construction of Petroleum House Islamabad for Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources, Rs 119.5 million project of Construction of Aiwan-e-Quaid F-9 Park Islamabad, Rs 650 million project of Mirani Dam Command Area Development in Balochistan and Rs 1.99 billion project of Aqua-culture and Shrimp Farming in Pakistan, Rs 2.3 billion of Towiwar Storage Dam in Killa Saifullah were also approved.