Islamabad: The federal government plans to launch a ‘Roshan Pakistan’ project in Balochistan, a news source quoted Planning Minister Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar. This project will solarise more than 30,000 tube wells in a short period of time.
The minister also responded to a calling-attention notice issued by Senator Mir Muhammad Shahi. He said that the government will consider the unapproved projects list for Balochistan in the 2019-2020 budget. These projects are worth over PKR 60 billion.
The said notice issued by the senator called the minister’s attention towards the issue of reduced funds under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). The funds were reduced from PKR 950 billion to PKR 675 billion. This revision will affect several industrial sectors of the province, including health and education.
Bakhtiar stated that the government has already contacted Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO). This institution will identify feasible areas in the province for the construction of over a hundred dams.
The minister further added that that federal and provincial governments will collaborate to irrigate 700,000 acres of land in Balochistan. The underdeveloped areas of the country are a top priority of the government’s Regional Equalisation Strategy policy, he informed.
