ISLAMABAD:
The Central Development Task Force (CDWP) approved 15 development projects worth Rs 34.74 billion and recommended nine major projects with a cumulative cost of Rs 431.022 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for further consideration.
The meeting was chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal and attended by federal secretaries, provincial planning departments and senior officials. The agenda included projects from critical sectors, including fuel, health, information technology, energy, transport and communications sectors, aligned with the government’s URAAN Pakistan reform agenda.
The approved projects include exploration for radioactive minerals in the Marwat Range (Rs 1,440 billion), CT and MRI machines in AJK hospitals (Rs 5,483 billion), Prime Minister’s e-sports training centers and stadiums (Rs 3,167 billion) and the PAkGazette-AI Innovation and Development Center of the Geospatialx complex (Rs 4,004 billion). Other approvals include PAKAWAZ secure mobile communications ecosystem (Rs 708.7 billion), Frontier Corps Balochistan accommodation (Rs 2,019 billion), a 120-bed hospital in Turbat (Rs 2,485 billion) and three-phase AMI meters for LESCO (Rs 6,256 billion). The forum also approved a Center of Excellence in Robotics (Rs 500 crore) and road construction projects.
Projects recommended by ECNEC
Among the projects recommended to ECNEC is the establishment of an emerging technologies data center worth Rs 7,930 crore, aimed at providing secure and sovereign artificial intelligence and high-performance computing infrastructure for government institutions, academia and the private sector.
The National Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem Development Program worth Rs 13 billion and the Pakistan Communication Satellite-2 project worth Rs 37,192 billion with ground control center upgrades were also recommended for ECNEC approval.
A transport sector project, improvement of tracks and allied infrastructure on ML-3 from Rohri to Koh-e-Taftan (996 km) worth Rs 278,619 crore, including track renewal and 11 new stations between Spezand and Taftan, was also recommended. It will be implemented in two phases from 2026 to 2033. The construction of Mashkel-Chedgi road (108.5 km) worth Rs 43,647 million, with 90% funding from the Saudi Fund for Development, was recommended for construction along with the Rathoa Haryam Bridge project in Mirpur AJK worth Rs 10,867 million.
Iqbal noted that the Rathoa Haryam Bridge project had been stalled since 2018 and was revived after the current government assumed office in April 2022. The project, originally started in 2006, has now been physically completed at a revised cost of Rs 9.98 billion, fully funded through the Public Sector Development Programme. The minister emphasized that the approved projects align with URAAN Pakistan’s vision of digital transformation, modern infrastructure and sustainable economic growth.
