The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) sanctioned projects worth Rs173.625 billion across various sectors. During the ECNEC meeting, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar chaired and approved several projects. One such project, titled “Resilient Housing Reconstruction and Restoration in all districts of Balochistan,” funded by the World Bank through the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, was given the go-ahead at a cost of Rs43,400 million. The Government of Balochistan, with the assistance of Federal PMU and provincial PIU, will execute the project to aid flood-affected communities in rebuilding their houses in Balochistan province.
Another approved project, “Punjab Urban Land Systems Enhancement Project (PULSE),” presented by the Board of Revenue (BoR), received an updated cost of Rs26,440.704 million, fully financed by the World Bank. The Punjab BoR will oversee the project’s execution through the Punjab Land Records Authority (PLRA) in the province.
The Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan’s project, “Establishment of Regional Grids in Gilgit-Baltistan Phase-I (Revised),” was approved with a rationalized scope and cost of Rs9,148.509 million and an FEC of Rs1,679.274 million. This project will be carried out in districts Gilgit, Hunza, and Skardu by the W&P Department, Gilgit-Baltistan.
In District Bahawalnagar of Punjab Province, the ECNEC approved the project “Dualisation of road from Chistan to Chak no 46/3R via Dahrnawala (41.154 km) including two-lane Link Road from Dahrnawala to Chaki 175m (4.859 km),” which will be executed by the National Highways Authority and Ministry of Communications. The total cost of this project is Rs8,962.982 million, shared equally between the federal government and the Government of Punjab.
The ECNEC also greenlit the “Construction of Awaran Dam (Revised)” in District Awaran of Balochistan at a cost of Rs23,579.263 million. The Irrigation Department, Government of Balochistan, will undertake the execution, with funding on an 80:20 cost-sharing basis between federal and provincial governments.
Similarly, the project “Construction of Panjgur Dam in District Panjgur, Balochistan” was approved with a revised cost of Rs22,340.59 million. The Irrigation Department, Government of Balochistan, will carry out the execution, with financing shared on an 80:20 basis between federal and provincial governments.
A project submitted by the Government of Sindh, “Construction/Re-construction of Existing Schools in Sindh affected under Rain/Flood 2022 in Sindh (1800 units),” was approved at a cost of Rs12,338.294 million. The federal government and the Government of Sindh will share the cost equally, and the School Education and Literacy Department (SE&LD), Sindh, will oversee its execution.
Lastly, the “Sindh Solar Energy Project (SSEP)” of the Government of Sindh, with an updated cost of Rs27,418.13 million, was reconsidered. The project’s implementation site and substantial savings in electricity units were discussed during the meeting.
Various high-ranking officials from federal ministries and provincial departments, including Federal Minister Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal, and SAPM on Finance Tariq Bajwa, attended the ECNEC meeting.
