ISLAMABAD: Planning, Development and Reforms Minister Asad Umar has said that a joint team of Gilgit-Baltistan and the federal government will soon finalise the historic development package for GB.
Asad Umar in a tweet on Thursday said that a joint team has been constituted with the help of the GB chief minister, which will soon present the historic development package for the uplift of the region.
He further said that the marginalized section of the society and lesser developed areas are on the top priority of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Earlier, in a meeting with the newly-elected leadership of Gilgit-Baltistan on Wednesday, the Ministry of Planning and Development constituted two technical groups to finalise the integrated development plan on the pattern of the recently announced Karachi Transformation Plan. GB Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid and Federal Minister Asad Umar jointly presided over the meeting.
Both the committees will hold a follow-up meeting in the next 15 days and shortlist the most important areas for inclusion in the GB integrated development plan. The committees would work together to identify potential projects in the public sector, as well as in the public-private partnership mode.
Asad Umar said that the development needs of Gilgit-Baltistan had been neglected for a long time, but the current federal government and GB administration would jointly formulate and announce an integrated development plan for the people of the region. The minister directed that the requisite approval of all the projects to be included in the integrated plan should be obtained from the relevant forum before the next budget cycle so they could be included in the Public Sector Development Programme 2021-22.
The GB chief minister said the initiative taken by the federal government was the first of its kind and it would greatly benefit the people of the area. He said all the potential sectors should be included in this development package and it should be ensured that all projects start in time and are completed on time.
