Islamabad: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has cleared seven development projects worth Rs. 104 billion, with Rs. 96 billion of these projects referred to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for final approval. The decision was made during a meeting chaired by the Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal.

The meeting, attended by senior officials including Secretary Planning Awais Manzur Sumra and members of the Planning Commission, focused on key sectors such as Industries and Production, Information Technology, and Transport and Communications.

Four projects, totaling Rs. 8 billion, received direct approval from CDWP. Among them were projects in industries and commerce, including the establishment of 1,000 industrial stitching units and land acquisition for SME facilitation centers.

In the Information Technology sector, CDWP approved projects for the development of a lunar exploration rover and a manned space mission, with a combined cost of over Rs. 4.7 billion.

Three major Transport and Communications projects were moved to ECNEC for further consideration. These include an improvement project for a road from Sanghar to National Highway N-5, construction of additional carriageways along Mehran Highway, and the enhancement of a road from Rohri to Guddu Barrage. These projects aim to improve regional connectivity and support economic growth.

Ahsan Iqbal, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, emphasized the need for reviewing construction schedule rates to ensure cost-efficiency in infrastructure projects.