ISLAMABAD
The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) of the government on Thursday recommended six major projects worth Rs130 billion to the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) for approval.
The CDWP meeting, which was chaired by Minister for Planning Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal, has recommended six projects relating to transport & communications sector and Higher Education Commission to ECNEC for approval.
The project recommended for the consideration of ECNEC includes ‘acquisition of land for Gwadar port free trade zone’ at a cost of Rs 6.3 billion. This project is part of Pakistan - China Economic Corridor. The establishment of a free trade zone is a contractual obligation to provide 2281 acres of land for establishment of a free trade zone.
The CDWP also approved another project which is part of CPEC namely 59km Hassabadal - Havelian Expressway at a cost of Rs 31 billion. Asian Development Bank will provide 85% of the total cost as loan.
Two other very important projects namely ‘land acquisition for 1152km long Karachi - Lahore Motorway’ was also recommended for ECNEC at a rationalized cost of Rs 55.5 billion. However, CDWP also constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Additional Secretary PDR to further rationalize the cost and the report will be submitted within 3 days. Similarly construction of Karachi-Lahore Motorway was approved in principle. However, CDWP constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Secretary PDR with members for NHA, M/o Finance, Pakistan Engineering Council for rationalization of the cost.
CDWP approved another road project Kallat - Quetta - Chaman for which USAid has also provided a grant of $90 million. Under this project, Kallat-Quetta-Chaman 250km road will be widened and improved. This project will help in opening up the area and provide international standards road facilities to the users of this road.
The CDWP also recommended Prime Minister’s Programme for distributing laptops amongst the young and bright students studying in any public sector higher education institute across the country on purely merit basis. The scheme is being announced as one of the initiatives launched under the Prime Minister’s Youth Scheme for 2013-14. During this year, 100,000 laptops with an approximate unit cost of Rs. 37500/- have been purchased from off-the-shelf in accordance with PPRA Rules and will be distributed in near future amongst the students as per defined criteria of the announce scheme. However from the next year tender for supply of laptops to contain a specific requirement of establishing the assembly line by the supplier for local manufacturing of laptops will be executed for next (04) years; therefore a total of 500,000 laptops will be distributed over the next five years. The Higher Education Commission of Pakistan has been entrusted to execute the scheme and devise a criteria/mechanism for distribution of laptops under this scheme. The chairman CDWP directed HEC to make sure that laptops are of high quality and should be purchased in a cost effective manner. He appreciated HEC that some of the manufacturers have already set up assembling plants in the country. While opening the meeting, the minister welcomed the participants and advised them that due diligence should be taken in planning the projects to avoid frequent changes at the implementation stage. He also directed that the project formulation should be based on technical feasibility studies. Prof. Ahsan Iqbal further said that Development Agenda of the government will make Pakistan a fast growing economy in Asia.