CDWP approves 16 development projects of Rs259.68bn

ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) Tuesday approved 16 development projects of Rs259.68 billion.

During its meeting chaired by Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, 9 projects of Rs27.40 billion were approved while the forum recommended 7 projects of Rs232.28 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for consideration/approval.

The minister stressed the collective responsibility of all stakeholders in driving national development. He also paid tribute to Pakistan’s sports talent, declaring Arshad Nadeem a national hero.

He remarked, “Despite limited resources, Arshad Nadeem has made the nation proud by winning a gold medal. To honor his achievements, the government is approving the establishment of ‘Arshad Nadeem/Shahbaz Sharif High-Performance Sports Academy’ at Jinnah Sports Complex, Islamabad. This academy will help nurture more athletes like him to represent Pakistan globally.” In CDWP meeting, five Education and Training sector projects were presented in the meeting. After detailed discussions, these projects were approved by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) forum. A key governance project, titled “Enhancing Public-Private Partnerships in Pakistan (Provincial Support) Project for Sindh – Revised,” worth Rs27,853.845 million, was presented at the meeting and has been referred to ECNEC for further consideration.

A project related to Mass Media presented in the meeting namely “Establishment of Arshad Nadeem/ Shehbaz Sharif High Performance Sports Academy at Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad (Prime Minister’s Directive)” worth Rs2678.545 million approved by the CDWP forum. Three projects related to Physical Planning & Housing sector presented in the meeting.

Another two projects in the Physical Planning & Housing sector were presented. A project related to Power sector presented in the meeting namely “220 kV Transmission System Network Reinforcement in Islamabad and Burhan Area” worth Rs11315.550 million referred to ECNEC for further consideration.

Three projects related to Transport & Communications sector presented in the meeting namely “Sindh Flood Emergency Rehabilitation Programme (SFERP-I)” worth Rs88404 million referred to ECNEC for further consideration. The second project of T&C was presented namely “Dualization of Rawalpindi-Kahuta Road (28.4 km).” The third project of T&C was presented namely “Operationalization of Green Line BRTS and Installation of Integrated Intelligent Transport System Equipment” worth Rs13502.250 million referred to ECNEC for approval. the project will be financed through PSDP. The 21-kilometer infrastructure from Surjani to Numaish in Karachi is already in place. The project includes acquisition of 80 articulated diesel hybrid air-conditioned buses, each with a capacity of 150+ passengers, carrying up to 300,000 passengers per day with a service life of 10 years.