Islamabad: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has sanctioned eight development projects totaling Rs. 144.3 billion. The approval came during a meeting led by Minister PDSI and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Ahsan Iqbal. Of these projects, five valued at Rs. 15.35 billion received direct approval from the CDWP, while three projects worth Rs. 129 billion were recommended to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for further consideration.
According to Press Information Department, the meeting included key government figures such as Secretary Planning Awais Manzur Sumra and other senior officials from various federal ministries and provincial governments. Discussions at the meeting covered a range of sectors including education, health, higher education, transport and communication, and water resources.
During the session, Minister Ahsan Iqbal expressed gratitude towards the Prime Minister for his fourth appointment as Deputy Chairman and underscored the critical role of the CDWP in developmental initiatives. He highlighted the financial challenges faced by the country, citing the significant reduction of the development budget and the high cost of debt servicing which consumes more than 50% of the total expenditure. Despite these challenges, Iqbal noted the government’s successful reduction of inflation from 35% to 9.5%.
The meeting saw the approval of several significant projects. These include the “Reaching Out of School Children (OOSC) in AJK” initiative valued at Rs. 7183.515 million and the “Establishment of Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research, Lahore” which, costing Rs. 52772.520 million, will be considered by ECNEC. The latter aims to provide comprehensive cancer treatment and includes facilities such as a main hospital, cancer care clinic, and a hospice care facility among others.
In the higher education sector, the CDWP approved projects like the “Establishment of National Center of Artificial Intelligence” and related initiatives in big data, robotics, and cybersecurity, reflecting the government’s push towards enhancing technology readiness levels.
For the transport sector, the “Sindh Flood Emergency Rehabilitation Project (SFERP) Phase-II” worth Rs. 61308 million was recommended to ECNEC. This project is designed to rehabilitate infrastructure damaged in the 2022 floods and improve disaster response capacity.
Additionally, the “Kachi Canal Project Restoration of Flood Damages 2022” was also recommended to ECNEC. This project is crucial for restoring the infrastructure of the Kachhi Canal in Punjab, which had been damaged by severe monsoon floods.
The CDWP meeting also cleared two concept papers focused on recovering healthcare equipment in flood-affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and on green energy projects in Punjab, demonstrating a broad scope of developmental focus.
This series of approvals and recommendations underscores the government’s commitment to national economic recovery and sustainable growth, despite the ongoing financial constraints.