ISLAMABAD, Sept 2: The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) here on Monday approved 22 development projects amounting to Rs70 billion.
The meeting, which was presided over by Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz, was told that of these 22 projects, 12 involved no foreign exchange component.
The projects would generate economic activity, create employment, reduce poverty, increase literacy rate and improve capacity-building, the ministry of finance said after the meeting.
The projects would reduce dependence on thermal electricity generation, improve social and physical infrastructure and railways service, it added.
The sector-wise breakdown of the projects is as follows: health Rs355.40 million, social sector Rs615.32 million, education Rs8,130.54 million, hydro electric/irrigation Rs52,746.69 million, judicial reforms Rs857.16 million, industries Rs366 million and communications Rs7,242.52 million.
The meeting approved establishment of Karachi Institute of Radio Therapy and Nuclear Medicine at an estimated cost of Rs355.4 million, including a foreign exchange component of Rs162 million. Slated to complete in 24 months, the project would improve facilities for diagnosis and treatment of cancer and malignant disorders. It would, during the course of its implementation, generate employment for 300 skilled and unskilled workers. Upon being operational, it would employ 104 persons.
The Ecnec approved Rs219.61 million to complete development of Public Park in Rawalpindi. The project will be transferred from CDA to Punjab government for ongoing operation.
The meeting also okayed Rs3,600 million ‘Tawana Pakistan’ School Nutrition Package for girls. The project would cover 28 districts for a period of 54 months. The community-based project would provide nutrition package for schoolgirls between the age of 5 and 12 in the poorest districts to improve their health and to encourage enrolment in the girls schools.
It approved Rs395.7 million Pakistan Integrated Household Survey (PIHS) Phase-IV Programme. It would provide database on basic education, primary health, population welfare, water supply, sanitation, poverty and nutrition. The survey would include 115,000 households for preparation of poverty profile in Pakistan on district level to meet the database requirement of the government’s devolution plan. The project will be completed in 78 months.
The meeting approved president’s programme for rehabilitation and optimum utilization of existing facilities in elementary education. The Rs2 billion project is a part of sizable education sector reforms (ESR) programme, under which rehabilitation of existing facilities and capacity-building in elementary education will be carried out. The programme envisages increasing enrolment by 15 per cent of boys and 10 per cent of girls.
The Ecnec also gave its green light to the Rs7,035.12 million Golan Gol Hydro Electric Power Project, which involves a foreign exchange component of Rs2638 million. To be sited in Chitral, the project would produce 106 megawatt of electricity.
Allai Khawar Hydro Electric Project, costing Rs8,577.82 million, with a foreign exchange component of Rs3453.54 million, was approved. To be constructed on a tributary of Indus River in Kohistan district of the NWFP, Allai Khawar project would produce 121-megawatt of hydroelectric power. It would be completed in 48 months by June, 2006.