CDWP meeting recommends development projects worth Rs 358.8bn to ECNEC 

ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) meeting, under the leadership of Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan, witnessed the approval of a vital development project worth Rs. 45.69 million. Additionally, it recommended three substantial projects amounting to a whopping Rs. 358.810 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for further deliberation and consideration.

The meeting, attended by Secretary Planning Awais Manzur Sumra, senior officials from the Planning Commission, Federal Ministries/Divisions, and Chairman/ACS (Dev) from Provincial Governments, primarily focused on projects related to the Education, Physical Planning, and Housing sectors.

One of the significant projects highlighted during the meeting was the "Getting Results Access and Delivery of Quality Education Services (GRADES) Punjab project" worth Rs. 42.750 billion. 

The project aims to address the educational setbacks faced by Punjab due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite multifaceted responses from Punjab involving SOPs, curriculum adjustments, re-enrollment campaigns, remote learning opportunities, and maintained education budgets, visible losses in education indicators still persist. The entire funding for GRADES will be facilitated through a World Bank loan, consisting of US$ 96.877 Million under project mode and US$ 53.123 Million through Performance Based Conditions(PBC).

Another significant venture in the Education Sector, the "Sindh Basic Education Program," valued at Rs. 20,060.563 million, has been recommended to ECNEC. This project is expected to receive foreign grants amounting to approximately $154.978 million from USAID, alongside a contribution of Rs. 870 million (approximately $10 million) from the Government of Sindh.

Within the Education sector, the "Capacity Building of Education Managers (CBEM) (2nd Revised)" project, valued at Rs. 45.69 million, received approval from the CDWP forum after detailed discussions.

Shifting focus to the Physical Planning & Housing sector, the "Flood Response Emergency Housing Project (revised)" worth Rs. 296,000 million was recommended to ECNEC for consideration. The Government of Sindh is slated to contribute a counterpart share of Rs. 50,000 million, with a World Bank loan of $500 million (equivalent to Rs. 140,000 million), and an additional US$200 million from the Islamic Development Bank via Islamic Financing arrangements (equivalent to PKR 56,000 million). 

This project intends to aid flood-affected people across all districts of Sindh in the reconstruction and repair of their homes. The original project, supported by the World Bank and the Government of Sindh, will have an implementation period of 36 months.