CDWP to approve Rs26.69 billion PhD scholarship plan

ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) that is going to meet on Thursday (today) is likely to approve a Rs26.69 billion PhD scholarship programme under the US-Pakistan Knowledge Corridor (Phase-I), which is to be executed by the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

Another project construction of Lahore-Sialkot motorway (88km) of Rs52.66 billion, Red Line Project in Sindh (Rs1.29 billion) and another project of Rs777 million for enhancement of training capabilities of the Construction Technology Training Institute (CTTI), Islamabad, phase-IV is likely to get approval of this body which is meeting with Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal in the chair.

There is another project of construction of 100 dams in Balochistan Package-III (20 dams) costing Rs8.52 billion and Channelisation of Deg Nullah in Punjab (Rs4.07 billion) will be presented in the meeting for approval.

According to the agenda available with The News, there are several projects in the education sector that include establishment of the AJK Women University, Bagh, of Rs886.6 million, provision of new facilities and infrastructure for main campus of University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore, (Rs1.16 billion); strengthening of academic & professional facilities at Peshawar University (Rs820.6 million); strengthening of Institute of Biotechnology at Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, (Rs588.8 million); strengthening & expansion of Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (BUITEMS), Quetta, (Rs1.05 billion).

Other projects in the sector include a Rs747 million project for strengthening of academic research programme at the National University of Modern Languages (NUML), Islamabad, and establishment of sub-campuses of public sector universities at district level Phase-I of Rs4.587 billion.

The government is also taking Rs4.59 billion South Punjab Poverty Alleviation Project (SPPAP) to the CDWP for approval.A project of Exploring Assistance for Pakistan Audit & Accounts Academy, Lahore, from international donors/ sponsors of Rs568.2 million is also on the agenda. The sponsoring agency of this project is JICA.

From Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, a project of $1.65 million (totally foreign funded) is also on the agenda. It is worth mentioning that in June 2016, the CDWP has already deferred the concept clearance of this project.