ISLAMABAD, Oct 22: The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) has approved 23 projects to cost a total of Rs116.5 billion in various sectors, including agriculture, energy, science and technology, water, transport, communication, environment, higher education and culture.
Of them 14 are new projects costing Rs69 billion and nine revised projects of Rs47.5 billion.
Chairing the meeting here on Monday, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said frequent meetings of Ecnec held over the past three years were aimed at reducing delays in the approval process and ensuring speedy development activities.
The prime minister said that special attention had been paid to future energy requirements. He lauded the efforts of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission chairman for developing indigenous technology to launch classified and non-classified nuclear energy projects.
Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Dr. Akram Shaikh, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, said that Ecnec in its last meeting had approved 45 projects, adding that 68 projects were approved in September and October.
He said that the government had planned to enhance nuclear power production to 8,800 Megawatts, adding that the chemical processing plant and nuclear fuel enrichment plant had also been approved.
Dr Shaikh, however, said that feasibility studies for establishing the nuclear plant was in progress and its venue was yet to be finalised. The other projects are oil and gas exploration in Balochistan and Chashma hydropower project.
Ecnec also approved a social sector development project for higher education in Balochistan and Federally Administered Tribal Areas, he said.
Through the Higher Education Commission, he said, 2,000 scholarships would be provided at primary, college and university levels with 60 per cent quota for Balochistan and 40 per cent for Fata.
Dr Shaikh said the government would establish 10 engineering universities. One of them would be established in Islamabad with the help of China. Ecnec approved a proposal for acquiring land for the university.
Other projects relate to clean drinking water for all, Balochistan small-scale irrigation project and Toiwar-Batozai storage dam project, rehabilitation and reconstruction of Bolan dam project.—APP
