• Home
• /
• Business

Pakistan clears Rs72b development projects

Approval

Mohammad Asif Sheikh, spokesman for the Planning Commission told reporters after the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) meeting presided over by deputy chairman Dr Akram Sheikh that 17 projects of Rs3.80 billion and recommended 21 projects of Rs68.2 billion to Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for approval.

Member infrastructure planning commission Dr Asad Ali Shah said that Rs17.67 Lai Expressway Project which has been renamed as Sheikh Rashid Expressway and Flood Control Project was recommended by the meeting for approval by the Executive Committee of the National Executive Committee (ECNEC) in its forthcoming meeting.

FWO

He confirmed that the contract for the construction of the project had already been awarded to the FWO without any tender. He said some projects of national importance and immediate nature could be started without going through the rules and prime minister had approved the contract. He said the project would be financed equally by the federal and the Punjab government.

Asif Sheikh the meeting approved 15 projects of Rs50.8 billion in infrastructure sector, 19 projects valuing Rs17.4 billion in social sector and four projects of Rs3.9 billion in other sectors. He said the CDWP meeting approved an important initiative in education sector under which the government will extend scholarships to 2000 students of FATA and Balochistan so that they could be brought at par with the students of other federating units.

Cost

The project will cost Rs981 million and would continue for three years. In addition to that, the government has reserved 569 seats for students of the said areas in the well reputed educational institutions.

He said that the meeting also approved the installation of four nuclear medical centres at the cost of Rs3.3 billion. Each is to be installed in Swat, Nawabshah, Bunnu and DI Khan. The meeting has also approved Pakistan's Dairy Company having paid up capital of Rs2 billion. The company will collect milk from the various points in the country and establish the processing plants. The federal government will provide the company basic infrastructure.

Sheikh said that out of 38 approved projects, 18 projects have been revised and their net addition in total cost is Rs10 billion. Out of approved projects, the 8 projects of Rs34.7 billion will be located in Punjab, 4 of Rs5.8 billion in Sindh, 9 valuing Rs3.8 billion in Balochistan and 4 projects of Rs3.8 billion in NWFP.

Projects

He explained that the meeting approved 4 projects in Transport and Communication valuing Rs27.366 billion, 5 projects in energy sector valuing Rs20.473 billion, 4 projects of Rs16.29 billion in physical planning and housing, 2 projects in water sector of Rs13.38 billion.