The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has recommended six major development projects with a combined cost of Rs418.761 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for further approval. Simultaneously, the CDWP approved six schemes valued at Rs16.904 billion during a meeting chaired by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal.
Meeting Highlights
The session reviewed initiatives aligned with the URAAN Pakistan agenda, emphasizing the strengthening of human capital, modernization of governance, improvement of infrastructure, and promotion of sustainable economic growth.
Power Sector Projects
Seven power sector projects were presented, of which five were approved. These include the installation of Asset Performance Management Systems (APMS) for distribution transformers in SEPCO (Rs1.974 billion), QESCO (Rs4.093 billion), PESCO (Rs4.621 billion), and HAZECO (Rs1.9 billion), along with the BEST-PAK capacity building project (Rs1.425 billion). Two major projects—APMS for LESCO (Rs24.065 billion) and installation of reactive power compensation devices in the NGC network (Rs194.951 billion)—were recommended to ECNEC.
Minister Iqbal directed authorities to include procurement specialists in mega projects and standardize cost estimates for DISCOs with proper load assessment. He emphasized that energy security is central to the URAAN Pakistan initiative for achieving higher productivity, attracting investment, boosting exports, and creating employment.
Punjab Urban Land Systems Enhancement Project
The Punjab Urban Land Systems Enhancement Project (PULSE), worth Rs43.081 billion, was referred to ECNEC. It covers digitization of urban and rural revenue records, cadastral maps, archiving of old registered deeds, mass-level partitioning of agricultural holdings, door-to-door surveys, digitization of kachi abadis, and establishment of an inventory and management system for state land assets.
Smart Islamabad Initiative
The Smart Islamabad Initiative Phase I (Rs2.891 billion) was approved, providing an integrated smart governance and security platform for the capital to improve cross-agency coordination and public service delivery.
Environmental and Irrigation Projects
The Babu Sabu wastewater treatment plant in Lahore (Rs60.493 billion), aimed at treating untreated sewage to reduce pollution and protect public health, was recommended to ECNEC. The Jalalpur Irrigation Canal Project (Rs64.096 billion), with 86.93% ADB financing, was also recommended.
Poverty Alleviation
The Southern Punjab Poverty Alleviation Project (SPPAP), worth Rs32.075 billion and financed by IFAD, was referred to ECNEC. The minister directed that clear sector-wise outcomes be included in project documents for better impact assessment.
