| Islamabad: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has given the nod to seven projects with a combined value of PKR 85.24 billion, spanning diverse sectors including “Competitive and Livable City of Karachi (CLICK)”, as reported by a news source on December 28.
Read: CDWP greenlights several development projects to boost foreign investments
Under the details shared by the news source, huge sectors such as information technology, health, physical planning, and housing, are specifically earmarked for the vibrant city of Karachi. Chaired by Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Jehanzeb Khan, the CDWP meeting sanctioned five development projects with a total expenditure of PKR 13 billion. Additionally, it recommended two projects totalling PKR 72.24 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for further examination and approval.
The most substantial project pertaining to Karachi, the CLICK initiative valued at PKR 63.95 billion, was proposed to ECNEC for endorsement during the meeting. The project aims to enhance the competitiveness and liveability of the economic hub of the country. The World Bank’s Investment Project Financing (IPF) will contribute PKR 61.11 billion, while the provincial government will allocate PKR 2.833 billion for the CLICK project.
Furthermore, the CDWP gave its nod to two projects of the Ministry of Law & Justice, focusing on the construction of a facilitation centre for litigants and lawyers in Sector G-10/1 in Islamabad, costing PKR 1.862 billion. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) will serve as the executing agency and financing source for these projects.
Another approved project involves the establishment of 93 District Courts in Mauve Area G-11/4 Islamabad, with a revised cost of PKR 2.232 billion. These approvals come at a time when lawyers are playing an increasingly pivotal role in upcoming general elections across various political platforms.
The CDWP also sanctioned two projects of the Ministry of Information, involving the upgrade of the Transmission Network and Replacement of Optical Fibre Cable in AJK & Gilgit Baltistan, with a revised cost of PKR 1.999 billion. The second project, related to the Prime Minister’s Initiatives Support for IT Start-ups, Specialized IT Training, and Venture Capital, received approval at a revised cost of PKR 5 billion.
Read: CDWP approves development projects, refers to ECNEC
Additionally, the CDWP referred projects worth PKR 8.289 billion for the establishment of an Infectious Disease Laboratory to ECNEC for approval. The proposed project, financed through PSDP, aims to set up a state-of-the-art R&D Laboratory for detecting and analysing microorganisms. The completion of this project will equip the NIH with enhanced capabilities for timely control and research on novel, exotic, emerging, and re-emerging pathogens.
Finally, a skill development internship project, the Baaikhtiyar Nojwan Internship Programme in Balochistan, was greenlit for PKR 1.850 billion. The World Bank will fully fund this initiative. |
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