ISLAMABAD: Ahead of the completion of the constitutional term of the government, the Executive Committee of the Economic Council (Ecnec) on Wednesday cont­inued approving seven more projects worth Rs446 billion and revised another Rs377bn worth of solarisation project for countrywide tube wells.

Last week too, Ecnec approved six projects with an estimated cost of Rs1.077 trillion. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar presided over the meeting attended by Commerce Minister Naveed Qamar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, special assistants to Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa and Tariq Pasha besides federal secretaries and provincial representatives.

Ecnec approved the Prime Minister’s Laptop Scheme to be executed by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) in Islamabad at a rationalised cost of Rs16.8bn including a foreign exchange component (FEC) of Rs15.166bn. The project is to be financed by the federal government and to be completed within two years i.e. 2023-2025.

Revises Rs377bn plan to solarise tube wells

It also approved the Mode­rnisation of Hydromet Services of Pakistan PMD in Pakistan (MHSP) at a cost of Rs14.499bn to be executed in the whole country by Pakistan Meteorological Depar­tment (PMD).

The project is financed by the World Bank as a component of the Post-Flood 2022 Reconstruction Programme. The project with local financing of Rs5.5bn and FEC of Rs9bn is expected to increase the capability of the PMD to forecast and nowcast for disasters like floods and cyclones.

The Water Requirement for K-IV Project Improvement of Kalri Baghar Feeder & Keenjhar Lake — Plain Cement Concrete (PCC) Lining of Karli Baghar Feeder Upper-Phase-I Project — was approved by the Ecnec with an estimated cost of Rs39.943bn.

To be executed in Sindh’s two districts — Jamshoro and Thatta — the project would be co-financed by the federal and provincial governments on a 50:50 basis. The provincial irrigation department, Sindh would be responsible for the project implementation to enhance water supply to Karachi City through the project from Indus River. The project will be completed in four years.

Ecnec also approved the Lahore Ring Road-Southern Loop (SL-3) Construction of the Road from Raiwind Road up to Multan Road at a total cost of Rs17.786bn without FEC.

The project is to be entirely financed by the Government of Punjab through its annual development plan.

The construction of the Khawazakhela-Besham Expressway (48Km) was also approved at a cost of Rs79.131bn without FEC. The project is to be executed by National Highway Authority (NHA) in the districts of Shangla and Swat of KPK Province. The project is to be financed entirely through Federal Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). The project will be completed in four years and seven months and would connect Khwawzakhela on N-95 Highway to Besham on N-35. The project is expected to become part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) at a later stage.

Another project of the Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training titled Pakistan Education Fund was approved in principle at a cost of Rs14bn to be executed across the country by the Higher Education Commission, National Education Scholarship for Talent (NEST).

The project is to be financed under the PSDP 2023-24 to provide scholarships in the fields of nursing, arts and higher education.

The meeting also approved the Lahore-Sahiwal-Bahwalnagar Motorway (295 Kms) Phase –I at a cost of Rs263.796bn to be executed in districts Bahawalpur, Kasur, Lahore, Okara, Pakpattan and Sahiwal. The project is to be financed through the Federal PSDP.

In addition, Ecnec also approved a summary of the Ministry of National Food Security & Research for revision of the Prime Minister’s National Programme for Solarisation Agriculture Tube Wells in Punjab, Sindh, KP and Balochistan and allowed inclusion of existing pumping systems on small dams, ponds, and river/stream/nullah ponds, serving the same purpose as tube wells. The Ecnec had last week approved the project with an estimated cost of Rs377.236bn for solarisation of tube wells and added a new insertion to allow “ properly installed existing pumping systems on small dams, ponds and rivers, streams, nullah ponds in barani areas serving the same purpose as tube-wells are also eligible for solarisation“ to benefit farmers of barani areas as well.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2023