ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) meeting, presided over by Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan, has given the green light to five development projects with a total cost of Rs. 10.022 billion and recommended four projects worth Rs. 213.86 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for further consideration.
The CDWP is a clearing house for provincial projects at the planning commission. The decision was taken in a routine CDWP meeting in Islamabad on the 3rd of November. The meeting was attended by Secretary Planning, Awais Manzur Sumra, along with senior officials from the Planning Commission and various federal ministries/divisions. Chairmen and ACs from provinces and districts were also present.
Projects across various sectors including Food & Agriculture, Education, Energy, Physical Planning & Housing, Science & Technology, Social Welfare, Transport & Communication, and Water Resources were reviewed during the meeting.
In the CDWP forum, approval was granted for the ‘Rehabilitation of Schools in Balochistan Affected by Flooding’ in the Education Sector, with a total cost of Rs. 1.4 billion. The project aims to rehabilitate and restore schools severely affected by floods in Districts: Lasbela, Dera Bugti, Quetta, Sibi, Naseerabad, Chaman, Kalat, Khuzdar, Sohbatpur, Kachhi, Killa Abdullah, Jaferabad, Killa Saifullah, Panjgur, Mastung, Musakhel & Jhal Magsi and is financed through the federal PSDP.
A project in the Physical Planning & Housing sector, “Permanent Settlement of IOJK Refugees 1989 Onwards (Phase-1),” has been approved at a cost of Rs. 3.09 billion. The project is located in Bagh, Hattian Bala, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad districts of AJK.
In the Transport & Communications sector, the “Improvement & Reconditioning of Noseri Leswa By-Pass Road,” spanning 52 kilometers in District Muzaffarabad Neelum, AJK, has been approved at a cost of Rs. 1.62 billion.
In the Science & Technology sector, the “Establishment of Pak Korea Testing Laboratory for PV Modules and Allied Equipment (Revised)” has been approved with a budget of Rs. 1,504.955 million.
A project within the Food & Agriculture sector, the ‘Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Security Support Project,’ with a budget of Rs. 24.64 billion, has been forwarded to ECNEC for further approval. The project spans across Districts: Charsadda, Dera Ismail Khan, Malakand, Nowshera, Peshawar, Swat, and Upper Dir and is proposed to be financed through foreign funding by the Asian Development Bank.
Another project in the Education Sector, the “Sindh School Rehabilitation Project under Flood Restoration Program,” worth Rs. 83.18 billion, has been recommended to ECNEC for further consideration. The provincial government will contribute 10% of the total cost (Rs. 7,562.5 million), while ADB will cover the remaining 90% (Rs. 75.625 billion). This project covers 17 districts in Sindh and includes the construction of completely and partially damaged schools, as well as the upgradation of 62 primary schools to the secondary, middle, and higher secondary levels by constructing new blocks.
Lastly, in the Social Sector, the “Women Inclusive Finance Development Program,” valued at Rs. 31.4 billion, has been referred to ECNEC for further consideration. This program aims to support women entrepreneurs across Pakistan, with funding proposed to come from foreign sources, specifically the Asian Development Bank. The Ministry of Finance (MoF) is designated as the executing agency, and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) will establish a Project Implementation Unit (PIU) to oversee the financing, with expenses covered by SBP’s own funds. A steering committee led by the Executive Director of SBP, with members from relevant stakeholders, will oversee the financing.
