ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) approved as many as eight development projects at the cost of Rs30.2 billion, while recommended two projects valued at Rs65.9 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for further consideration.

The CDWP met with Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan in the chair at P-Block Secretariat on Monday.

Secretary Planning Abdul Aziz Uqaili, senior officers from the Planning Commission and federal ministries/divisions participated in the meeting, while representatives from provincial governments participated through video conference.

Projects related to health, higher education, physical planning and housing, and water sectors were presented before the forum. Four position papers and one concept clearance proposal also came under discussion.

The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination, presented the projects worth Rs25.8 billion, which were granted approval.

The project namely, Establishment of 200 Bedded Mother and Child Hospital District Rajanpur with the total cost of Rs7.488 billion was granted approval.

The project is proposed to be financed through the PSDP under the Covid-19 Umbrella PC-I titled, “COVID-19 responsive and other natural calamities”. The project would improve access of marginalised communities and widely scattered population of low socio-economic group to quality maternity and immediate new-born care through provision of high quality services, strengthen preventive services, and achieve optimum respective SDG health indicators ensuring service delivery by trained, skilled and well-equipped staff.

The project namely, Establishment of 50 Bedded Cardiac Hospital at Gilgit–Baltistan worth Rs4.67 billion was also granted approval. The project is proposed to be financed through the PSDP. The project envisages establishment of a 50-bed cardiac hospital and provision of diagnostic and therapeutic facilities of cardiac care for the people of Gilgit-Baltistan with installation of modern biomedical gadgets such as angiography, Thallium scan, ECG, ETT, echo machines, ICU, CCU, HDU facilities etc.

The CDWP approved the project namely, Procurement of MRI equipment for Radiology Department, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences worth Rs463.450 million. The project is proposed to be financed through the PSDP. The project envisages installation and upgradation of MRI and CT equipment in Radiology Department of the PIMS to ensure the continuity of the already existing services and to improve the quality and magnitude of the services for the deserving patients.

The revised project titled, Development of Integrated Disease and Response System (IDSRS) with Public Health Laboratories Network (PHLN) and Workforce at cost of Rs4,544.158 million was also accorded approval. The project is included in the current PSDP 2021-22. The project is funded under Covid-19 umbrella PC-I titled, “Covid-19 Responsive and Other Natural Calamities Control Program”.

The project envisages early detection of communicable diseases that may pose public health threat and to generate an early response to mitigate the impact of outbreak. The revised PC-I is submitted by sponsors with additional scope of conducting Feasibility study for Infectious Disease Laboratory (IDL). The project has four components i.e. strengthening of Field Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance (FEDS) system, development of national Public Health Laboratories Network (PHLN) and transition to Field Epidemiology and Laboratories Training Program (FELTP) with human resource (HR) development and feasibility study for the IDL to be conducted at the NIH.

The CDWP approved the project for Establishment of 200-bed Centre of Excellence for Obstetrics and Gynecology at Rawalpindi. The total cost of the project is Rs8.619 billion.

Under the higher education sector, the project namely, Establishment of NUST Campus at Quetta worth Rs2,864.506 million was presented, which was accorded approval. The project is proposed to be financed through the PSDP. The establishment of NUST Campus at Quetta would help the Government of Balochistan in development of human resource by producing quality work force in the fields of engineering and sciences.

The PC-II (2nd Revised) of Project Readiness Financing for KP Cities Improvement Project at the cost of Rs1,501.950 million was given approval by the CDWP. The project is proposed to be financed through foreign funding. Under social welfare sector, the CDWP forum approved the project titled, ICT Child Labour Survey, Islamabad with a total cost of Rs57.818 million. The project would be financed through the PSDP and foreign funding.

The Ministry of Water Resources presented two projects worth Rs65.9 billion, which were recommended to the ECNEC. The 2nd revised project namely, Gomal Zam Dam Multipurpose Project to be located in District Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with the total cost of Rs25.928 billion was recommended to the ECNEC. The project is proposed to be financed through foreign funding.

Main objective of the project is to harness flood water to provide assured irrigation water supply of 848 cusecs (peak discharge of 24 Cumecs) to irrigate 191,139 acres of land including 28,053 acres additional land, which falls under the command of Waran Canal System and generate 17.4 MW electricity.

Other objectives include flood mitigation and the employment generation in the region by enhanced farm production.

Another project presented by the Ministry of Water Resources was Naulong Multipurpose Dam Project Jhal Magsi (3rd Revised). The total cost of the project is Rs39.945 billion and it was recommended to the ECNEC. The 80 percent project financing would be through Asian Development Bank, while 20 percent would be financed through the PSDP. The WAPDA will be responsible for implementation of dam and allied works (i.e. auxiliary dam, spillway, fuse plug, outlet works, tunnel) power houses, irrigation system, Command Area Development Work, Water Shed Management Works, provision of common point for water supply scheme and the E&M works related to power house, gates etc.—NAVEED BUTT