The Central Development Working Party has approved numerous important projects aimed at improving people's lives, bettering education through various measures, enhancing tertiary health facilities and providing scholars to the Afghani youth.
Since the higher education is one of the priority areas of the government, multiple projects are always approved by the CDWP in its each meeting. In the last one, five projects worth about Rs 9 billion were approved, and one was referred to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council, that is, faculty development programme for the Pakistani universities. The scheme will be carried out with a total cost of Rs 7,081.99 million with an FEC portion of Rs 3,170.16 million and a PSDP allocation during the current fiscal year is Rs 50 million.
Scholarships will be provided to 2,000 teachers in five years. Besides this, the project will help promote research culture in the Pakistani universities by increasing PhDs, MPhils and research papers. After completion of their PhDs, 2,000 faculty members will enter into research-oriented jobs, leading to formation of a critical mass of high tech researchers.
A project 'Afghanistan Scholarship Programme (ASP) at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) total cost of Rs 306 million will be jointly funded by the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan, and will be funded outside the PSDP from the grant pledged by the Pakistani government for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the neighbouring country.
Two-thirds of the cost will be incurred by the Pakistan government. This project will be completed in five years and 100 Afghani students will benefit from this. The scholarship will cover almost all costs of stay and study, including medical and accident insurance, whereas placement of the selected students will be made by the HEC. It has been aimed at developing people-to-people contacts between the two countries, leadership qualities among the Afghan youth and human resource for reconstruction of Afghanistan.
The establishment of the FATA University is another milestone in the development of the less developed region, which will be completed at a total cost of Rs 1,489.49 million with an FEC of Rs 277.25 million, and is to be completed in five years. This will provide an equal opportunity to about 2,000 students of the area to acquire higher education in the next five to seven years, and the process will continue. The undergraduate programmes at the University will be offered collaboratively.
An important project in the health sector is the extension of the Institute of Nuclear Oncology and Radiotherapy (INOR) Abbotabad, which is meant to expand the capacity of quality cancer diagnostic and indoor treatment services by providing state-of-the art radio therapeutic services, whereas the number of patients are increasing steadily. Total cost of the project is Rs 473.69 million with an FEC of Rs 346.62 million and allocation in the PSDP 2015-16 is Rs 25 million, and will be completed in two years. The project also aims at creating cancer awareness among the masses, which is a primary step for prevention of the disease. Also, through this, better teaching, training and research facilities will be provided to the local doctors and medical staff.
For improving people's quality of life, project 'Upgrading of mechanical system for sewerage and drainage services in Gujranwala' will be completed by the mid of the next year with a total cost Rs 1,155.72 million with an FEC of Rs 1,103.61 million, which will be provided by the JICA. The project aims at up-gradation of sewerage and drainage system to improve service delivery of the WASA Gujranwala. It will also include cleaning of water sewer lines, desalting of drains, enhancing pumping capacity by replacement and addition of sewage pumps, increasing storm water pumping and power generation capacities.-PR