Federal Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives, Asad Umar on Tuesday directed the Planning Commission deputy chairman, Planning Development & Special Initiatives secretary and Government of Balochistan chief secretary to finalize the draft strategy on Command Area Development (CAD) in Southern Balochistan before submitting it to the prime minister for final approval.
The minister said “Our top priority should be to generate employment opportunities for the local people of Balochistan particularly the locals of Southern Balochistan through these water projects”.
“All the relevant stakeholders are directed to sit together to finalize the draft strategy before the final approval from the Prime Minister,” said the minister.
“These projects will have a positive impact on the lives of local people which must be the top priority,” he added.
Water and Power Resources Secretary briefed the minister that 40 projects related to water are being executed in Balochistan funded by the federal government with the estimated cost of Rs273 billion, while Rs29 billion are allocated in budget of 2021-2022. These projects will be completed in five years.
The Secretary further informed that out of 40 projects, 10 water projects have been completed with the cost of Rs2 billion while few are underway and new projects were also added. During the meeting, he also proposed to engage the private sector so farmers of the local areas could be assisted through these projects.
