TAXILA: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said the European Union (EU) had agreed to provide 250 million euros to Pakistan for assisting its clean energy transition and nature-based ecosystem solution project.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of a solar-based water filtration plant and later addressing a public meeting in Manoonnagar area of Hassanabdal, Mr Aslam said Pakistan would get global funding in lieu of billions of trees planted across the country through the World Bank assisted Green Bond.

He said the billion tree tsunami project was Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision and the government wanted to ensure complete transparency in the project.

He said a third-party evaluation and monitoring of the project through IUCN, WWF-Pakistan and FAO was underway.

Says Pakistan to get funds in lieu of billions of trees planted across country

The special assistant said significant and concrete progress was made on all federal and Punjab government projects in Attock during a record time of 15 months, adding that projects worth Rs8 billion had been launched in the district.

“As many as 45 water filtration plants have been installed at a cost of Rs60 million in Attock, Hazro and Hassanabdal which will control waterborne diseases,” he said.

The PM’s aide said the step had been taken because of an increase in pathological pollution, especially in Hazro and some areas of Attock, resulting in the spread of cholera, hepatitis and typhoid.

He said soon Rs10 million would be released for every union council of NA-55 Attock for different development schemes, adding that the government was determined to control inflation and was striving hard to bring it down by taking inclusive measures.

He said the opposition was only doing politics on non-issues as they had no agenda.

“Pakistan has got a true and sincere leader in the form of Imran Khan,” Mr Aslam said, adding the government had completed development projects which the previous governments could not do in years.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2021