Islamabad: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has approved eight major development projects, cumulatively valued at over Rs144 billion. The approval was finalized during a meeting chaired by the Minister for Planning and Development, Ahsan Iqbal, in Islamabad.
According to Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the CDWP session led to the direct approval of five projects amounting to Rs15.35 billion. Additionally, three projects totaling Rs129 billion were forwarded to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for further deliberation.
Among the projects approved includes an educational initiative titled “Reaching Out of School Children in AJK,” which has been allocated Rs7183.515 million. In the health sector, the “Establishment of Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research, Lahore” with a proposed budget of Rs52772.520 million will be considered by ECNEC. This project is expected to be funded through the Provincial Annual Development Programme.
The forum also approved four projects within the higher education sector. These include the “Establishment of National Center of Artificial Intelligence (Revisited)” at a cost of Rs1854.446 million, the “Establishment of National Center of Excellence in Big Data and Cloud Computing (Revised)” valued at Rs2383.186 million, the “Establishment of National Center in Robotics and Automation (Revised)” costing Rs2043.663 million, and the “Establishment of National Center for Cyber Security (Revised)” which will require Rs1887.794 million.
For the transport and communications sector, the “Sindh Flood Emergency Rehabilitation Project Phase-II” worth Rs61308 million was recommended to ECNEC, with funding proposed through a World Bank loan. Additionally, the water resource project “Kachhi Canal Project Restoration of Flood Damages 2022,” estimated at Rs14701.427 million, was also forwarded to ECNEC for consideration.