The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) approved eight development projects worth Rs144.3 billion and recommended three projects totaling Rs129 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for consideration.
The CDWP meeting, chaired by the Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Ahsan Iqbal, was held on Tuesday.
The CDWP approved a project titled “Reaching Out of School Children (OOSC) in AJK” worth Rs 7.183 billion.
The forum approved four projects: “Establishment of National Center of Artificial Intelligence (Revisited)” worth Rs1.854 billion; “Establishment of National Center of Excellence in Big Data and Cloud Computing (Revised)” worth Rs2.383 billion; “Establishment of National Center in Robotics and Automation (Revised)” worth Rs2.043 billion; and “Establishment of National Center for Cyber Security (Revised)” worth Rs1.887 billion.
It also recommended the establishment of the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment & Research in Lahore at a cost of Rs52.772 billion to ECNEC for consideration.
It recommended a transport and communications project titled “Sindh Flood Emergency Rehabilitation Project (SFERP) Phase-II” worth Rs61.308 billion to ECNEC for consideration.
The CDWP also recommended the “Kachi Canal Project Restoration of Flood Damages 2022” worth Rs14.701 billion to ECNEC.
The forum cleared two concept papers, including “Recovery of Maternal and Child Health Care Equipment in Flood-Affected Areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”
During the meeting, Ahsan Iqbal said that the shrinking development budget necessitates a focus on sustainable growth, currency stabilization, and economic stability through resource mobilization.
The Deputy Chairman also pointed out that over 50% of total expenditure is consumed by debt servicing. He emphasized the need to expand the tax net and promote exports. Despite these challenges, he expressed optimism, acknowledging the government’s efforts to reduce the inflation rate from 35% to 9.5%.
Ahsan Iqbal further stated that as 100% of the federal government’s net resources are consumed by debt servicing, the development budget is based on borrowing, making it essential to ensure value for money through due diligence.
He called on all provinces and ministries to exercise caution and responsibility when planning new projects. He urged that no compromise should be made on quality while preparing PC-I documents and that national priorities should be considered when formulating any project. He emphasized that poorly prepared project documents should be promptly returned to the respective ministries.
Ahsan Iqbal also stated that the government is committed to turning around the economy by implementing the 5Es National Economic Transformation Plan and restoring 6% annual growth by 2029.
The meeting was attended by Secretary Planning Awais Manzur Sumra, Additional Secretary Planning, Members of the Planning Commission, JCE (Ops), JCE (Ep), as well as respective federal secretaries, heads of provincial departments, and representatives from federal ministries and provincial governments.
