LAHORE: The Planning and Development Board, Punjab, has expressed its concern over the delays in the execution of foreign-funded projects and stressed project directors to streamline activities and ensure timely updates on progress and completion.

Chairing a review meeting of foreign-funded portfolio of Punjab at the Abdullah Khan Sumbal Auditorium on Saturday, P&D Board Secretary Dr Asif Tufail said the project directors’ focus should remain on the timely execution of project activities and targets and align all project activities.

Dr Tufail stressed the importance of maintaining transparency in project monitoring and expenditure management to prevent further setbacks.

“Regular updates are crucial to staying on track and achieving our project goals,” he said.

Highlighting the importance of strengthening partnerships with foreign donors to enhance bilateral relations, the P&D Board secretary emphasised the government’s commitment to maximizing the impact of foreign-funded projects for local communities. He said the Punjab government’s overarching goal was to transform foreign investments into tangible benefits that drive sustainable growth in the region. He said this approach aimed at enhancing community well-being while fostering economic development through strategic partnerships and responsible management of resources.

The meeting also discussed the Smart Monitoring of Development Projects (SMDP) evaluation report designed to streamline the tracking of World Bank-funded projects from inception to completion.

Dr Tufail stressed the need for transparency in progress monitoring and expenditure management. The meeting marked a renewed focus on improving efficiency and ensuring the timely completion of critical development projects across the province.

Several senior officials attended the meeting, including Senior Chief of the Excise and Taxation Department (ECA) Saba Asghar, Senior Chief of Livestock and Dairy Development Imtiaz, Chief Governance Hafz Naseer and Project Directors Asadullah (Punjab Rural Municipal Services Company), Imran (Punjab Agriculture & Horticulture Programme), Capt Usman (Punjab Fruit and Vegetable Processing Project), Ali Jalal (Punjab Resilient Infrastructure Development and Empowerment), Waqas (Punjab Tourism for Economic Growth Project), Waheed (Project Management Office Canal), Syed Zahid (Punjab Cities Programme), Hisham (Lahore Water and Wastewater Management Project), Farooq (Punjab Education Sector Reform Programme), Akram (Punjab Resource Improvement and Digitalization Programme), Tanveer (Habib University Research Lab), Adnan (Project Management Unit Energy), Haseeb (Punjab Agriculture Reform and Innovation Programme and Skills and Market Development Project) and Hamza Salik (Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Programme).

Also, Assistant Commissioner of Excise and Taxation Department (ECA) Saleem Illyas, DS Admin of the Planning and Development Board (P&DB) Omer Randhawa, Assistant Commissioner of P&DB Ali Nazeer, Assistant Commissioner of ECA Azad, and other relevant officials were also present.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2024