Islamabad: The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Wednesday (August 09) approved several projects aimed at infrastructure development, according to the news on August 9.
One of the most significant approved projects, funded by the World Bank and administered by the Ministry of Planning, focuses on creating resilient housing in all Balochistan districts, with an investment of PKR 43,400 million.
Another initiative endorsed by the ECNEC is the Punjab Urban Land Systems Enhancement Project (PULSE), overseen by the Punjab Board of Revenue (BoR). The meeting concluded that the project would be executed through the Punjab Land Records Authority (PLRA) at a revised cost of PKR 26,440.704 million, fully financed by the World Bank. Moreover, the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs & Gilgit Baltistan acquired approval for the ‘Establishment of Regional Grids in Gilgit-Baltistan Phase-I (Revised)’ project, which has been rationalised in terms of scope and cost to PKR 9,148.509 million, including a foreign exchange component of PKR 1,679.274 million.
Other approved projects included:
ECNEC approved the dualization of a road in Bahwalnagar district, along with a two-lane Link Road. The project, costing PKR 8.96 billion, would be executed by the National Highway Authority (NHA) and Ministry of Communications, with equal sharing of expenses between federal and Punjab governments, pending Punjab’s confirmation.
Water-related projects received ECNEC’s endorsement, including the ‘Construction of Awaram Dam (Revised)’ project in Balochistan’s Awaran district, costing PKR 23.58 billion. The project will follow an 80:20 funding division between federal and provincial governments and be managed by Balochistan’s Irrigation Department.
The ‘Panjgur Dam construction’ project in Balochistan, with a revised cost of PKR 22.34 billion, also gained ECNEC’s approval. Funding will be shared 80:20 between federal and provincial governments, overseen by Balochistan’s Irrigation Department.
ECNEC sanctioned a Sindh government project for flood-affected schools’ construction and reconstruction, costing PKR 12.34 billion. The initiative, managed by Sindh’s School Education & Literacy Department, will receive equal financial contributions from federal and Sindh governments, funded through the PSDP (2023-24).
The ‘Sindh Solar Energy Project (SSEP)’ was revisited with an updated cost of PKR 27.42 billion. Significant progress in project implementation and substantial electricity unit savings were reported, reflecting positive developments from the Sindh government initiative.
Reportedly, Finance Minister (FM) Ishaq Dar chaired the session joined by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, SAPM on Finance Tariq Bajwa, Federal Secretaries, and high-ranking officials from Federal Ministries and Provincial departments.
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