ISLAMABAD:
The Central Development Working Group (CDWP) approved 15 development projects worth Rs 34.740 billion and recommended nine major projects with a cumulative cost of Rs 431.022 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for further consideration.
The meeting was chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal and attended by federal secretaries, provincial planning departments and senior officials. The agenda included projects in critical sectors, including fuel, health, information technology, energy, transport and communications sectors, aligned with the government’s URAAN Pakistan reform agenda.
The approved projects include exploration for radioactive minerals in Marwat Range (Rs 1.440 billion), CT and MRI machines in AJK hospitals (Rs 5.483 billion), Prime Minister’s E-Sports Arenas and Training Centers (Rs 3.167 billion) and PK Press Club-AI Development and Innovation Center at Geospatialx Complex (Rs 4.004 billion). Other approvals include PAKAWAZ secure mobile communication ecosystem (Rs 708.7 million), Frontier Corps Balochistan accommodation (Rs 2.019 billion), 120-bed hospital in Turbat (Rs 2.485 billion) and three-phase AMI meters for LESCO (Rs 6.256 billion). The forum also approved a center of excellence in robotics (Rs500 million) and road construction projects.
Projects recommended by ECNEC
Among the projects recommended to ECNEC is the establishment of an Emerging Technologies Data Center worth Rs 7.93 billion, aimed at providing secure and sovereign AI and high-performance computing infrastructure to government institutions, academia and the private sector.
National Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem Development Program worth Rs13 billion and Pakistan Communication Satellite-2 project worth Rs37.192 billion with ground control center upgrades were also recommended for ECNEC approval.
A transport sector project, track modernization and allied infrastructure on ML-3 from Rohri to Koh-e-Taftan (996 km) worth Rs 278.619 billion, including track renewal and 11 new stations between Spezand and Taftan, was also recommended. It will be implemented in two phases from 2026 to 2033. The construction of Mashkel-Chedgi Road (108.5 km) worth Rs 43.647 billion, with 90 per cent funding from the Saudi Fund for Development, has been recommended, along with the Rathoa Haryam Bridge project in Mirpur AJK worth Rs 10.867 billion.
Iqbal noted that the Rathoa Haryam Bridge project had been stalled since 2018 and was revived after the current government took office in April 2022. The project, initially launched in 2006, is now physically completed with a revised cost of Rs 9.98 billion, fully funded by the Public Sector Development Program. The minister highlighted that the approved projects are in line with URAAN Pakistan’s vision of digital transformation, modern infrastructure and sustainable economic growth.
