CWDP approves seven development projects worth Rs22.16bn

ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has approved seven development projects worth Rs 22.16 billion in its meeting held on Friday. 

The meeting, chaired by Federal Minister for Planning Development & Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal approved a number of projects.

The projects approved were the Balochistan Urgent Response for Food Security Project at the cost of Rs 1,100 million, Maintenance Dredging of Navigation Channel of Gwadar Port at the cost of Rs 4,669.762m, Social Sector Accelerator SSA for Health, Nutrition, Education, Youth and Gender, National Priority Initiatives (second revised) at the cost of Rs 4,825.05m, Provision of Academic & Research Facilities & Girls Hostel at Quaid-e-Azam University at the cost of Rs3,860.355m, establishment of partnership between Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and government of pakistan to address grand challenges in Health Sector at the cost of Rs 220 million, King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Hospital at Tarlai, Islamabad, at the cost of Rs 2,499.993 million, and Sanitary Sewerage System with Treatment Plant in Gilgit city at the cost of Rs 4,988.704 million.

The CDWP also approved Social Sector Accelerator SSA for Health, Nutrition, Education, Youth and Gender (HNEYG), National Priority Initiatives (second revision) at the cost of Rs 4,828.05 million. The Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives is the sponsoring agency of the project. To address this key issue, the ministry proposed a one-year “Prime Minister Youth Internship Program” for fresh graduates in Pakistan. Under the programme, the ministry will award paid internships to all eligible applicants that qualify for the program through the proposed selection criterion for a duration of six months. Following their selection, the ministry will facilitate the placement of interns on positions relevant to their skills and job function in host organisations spanning across the public, private and development sectors. 

Furthermore, the interns will receive a stipend of Rs 25,000 per month. A total of 30,000 internships will be awarded through the one- year program. Upon the successful completion of their internship, interns will be awarded an internship certificate by their host organisation and the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives. The six-month internship program will include three online mentorship sessions culminating in an individual career development plan, one online training course on soft skills, one online training course on industry-relevant technical skills, one two-day voluntary activity, recurring monthly work plans and monthly progress reports, and one final internship report along with internship outputs.

                                                                                                                                The Ministry of Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs is the sponsoring agency of the Balochistan Urgent Response for Food Security Project, which envisages revival of agriculture production in the severely flood affected districts of the Nasirabad Division — considered as the granary of the province. The project will support the provision of rice seeds for increased productivity to 60,000 farm households in the target districts. Each beneficiary farmer will receive 40 kilogrammes of rice seed which will be sufficient for cultivating rice on 2 to 2.5 acres (0.8 to 1.0 hectare) of land. Furthermore, the project will provide climate adaptive (resilient) certified rice seed such as short duration varieties having tolerance to abiotic drought, heat and biotic disease free stress to ensure resilience. The project will provide small farming toolkits for agricultural activities and gum shoes for safer rice transplanting for at least 60,000 women. 

The Ministry of Maritime Affairs is the sponsoring agency of the Maintenance Dredging of the Navigational Channel of Gwadar Port. The revised project envisages, maintenance dredging of a 4.7-kilometres long navigational channel, basin and berthing area of Gwadar Port. Its Internal Navigational Channel and Turning Basin design depth is 13.8-meters for safe navigation of deep draft vessels and the Berthing Area and outer channel are dredged to 14.5-metres to permit safe berthing and sufficient clearance from bottom in low tides. The channel is designed for navigation of 50,000 DWT ships during all weather.                  

The forum also approved the Provision of Academic & Research Facilities & Girls Hostel at Quaid-e-Azam University, at the cost of Rs3,860.355m. The HEC is the sponsoring agency of the project. The prime objective of the project is to strengthen PhD/MPhil programs and to strengthen newly started BS programs. This requires expansion in basic infrastructural facilities within the university. It will include expansion in physical infrastructure (Academic Block, Examination/Services Block, Students Hostels, Centralized Laboratory, Boundary Wall, Cafeteria and Laboratory Equipment for graduate students.                                     

The establishment of partnership between Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Pakistan is being sponsored by the the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination. It is a new project with the aim to provide grants for improving health sector (management and delivery) in Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan using innovative approaches and technologies from researchers, entrepreneurs, scholars and practitioners in Pakistan, in alignment with the goals of global grand challenges program. During the first round, the projects will function over a period of five years, which is the most critical period from the perspective of attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the year 2030.       

The King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Hospital at Tarlai, Islamabad, will accommodate a 200-beds facility for the specialties of Medicine, Surgery, Gynecology, OPD and Emergency Services including residential accommodation for doctors and nurses and a mosque.

The meeting was also attended by the Secretary, Planning Ministry, Chief Economist, Members Planning Commission and representatives from the various ministries and divisions. The forum considered seven projects related to the Ministry of Planning Development & Special Initiatives, Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination and HEC.