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Express Tribune
13 hours ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
CDWP greenlights Rs55b uplift projects
The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) — a key planning and project-approval body — has approved five development projects worth Rs55.164 billion for sustainable economic development in the country. A CDWP meeting held on Friday under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal greenlighted these projects. Out the five, three projects totaling Rs47.439 billion were referred to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for final approval. The agenda focused on development projects across key sectors, including environment, food and agriculture, health and physical planning and housing. A project related to the environment sector — installation of Weather Surveillance Radar at Sukkur — worth Rs5725.013 million was also approved. The chair noticed inordinate delay in implementation of the project with Japanese grant and directed the relevant authority to complete it on priority basis. A project related to food and agriculture — Balochistan Livelihoods and Entrepreneurship Project — was also recommended to ECNEC. The revised cost of the project is Rs12461.661 million. It will be financed through World Bank and International Development Association (IDA) and MDTF. The main objective of the project is to promote employment opportunities for rural communities and ensure the sustainability of enterprises in eight districts of Balochistan including Chagai, Killa Abdullah, Killa Saifullah, Mastung, Nushki, Pishin, Sherani, and Zhob. The project aims to benefit rural households by supporting livelihoods through enterprise development and job creation. Furthermore, it will extend benefits to communities for enterprises development in sectors — agriculture, livestock, forestry, mines and minerals, tourism, and industry. Ahsan Iqbal directed that the additional scope of work should include tangible and impact oriented interventions under the project.
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Health
- Business Recorder
CDWP clears five projects costing Rs55bn
ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) cleared five development projects at a total cost of Rs55.164 billion. The CDWP approved two development projects of value Rs7.725 billion and recommended three projects at the cost of Rs47.439 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for final approval. The CDWP met with Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Ahsan Iqbal, in the chair at P-Block Secretariat. CDWP approves eight development projects The meeting was attended by Awais Manzur Sumra, Secretary Planning, along with Chief Economist, VC PIDE, other members of the Planning Commission, federal secretaries, heads of Provincial Planning and Development (P&D) boards/departments, and senior representatives from relevant federal ministries and provincial governments. The agenda focused on development projects across key sectors, including environment, food and agriculture, health and physical planning and housing. A project related to environment sector presented in the meeting namely, 'Installation of Weather Surveillance Radar at Sukkur in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan – Revised' at cost of Rs5.73 billion was approved by CDWP forum. Another project of the PP&H sector presented in the forum namely, 'Special Development Initiatives for Backward/ Poor District in Country (50:50)' worth Rs1,999.988 million was approved by the CDWP for Kashmore District, Sindh. The deputy chairman Planning Commission (DCPC) formed a committee to oversee and confirm scope and cost along with the design and construction of the project. A project related to health sector presented in the meeting namely, 'Expansion of Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology and National Institute of Heart Diseases (AFIC-NIHD), Rawalpindi' at an estimated cost of Rs25.458 billion and in-principal recommended to the ECNEC with concerns and funding confirmation. The upgradation and expansion of the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology and National Institute of Heart Diseases (AFIC-NIHD) aims to significantly enhance the hospital's capacity and quality of care to meet growing cardiac healthcare demands over the next two decades. Key objectives include increasing indoor bed capacity from 420 to 800, establishing 10 state-of-the-art modular operation theatres, enhancing diagnostic capabilities with advanced MRI and CT scanners, expanding outpatient services with 20 additional specialist clinics, and upgrading the angiography setup and compliance with international healthcare standards such as JCIA, FGI, and ASHRAE. The minister accorded in-principle approval and formed a committee to rationalise cost/ scope and directed the sponsors to explore alternative financing options for the project in view of tight resource position for PSDP funding. A project related to food and agriculture sector presented in the meeting namely, 'Balochistan Livelihoods and Entrepreneurship Project' recommended to ECNEC at a revised cost of Rs12.462 billion. The project source of financing is through World Bank and International Development Association (IDA) and MDTF. The main objective of the project is to promote employment opportunities for rural communities and ensure the sustainability of enterprises in eight districts of Balochistan including Chagai, Qilla Abdullah, Killa Saifullah, Mastung, Nushki, Pishin, Sherani, and Zhob. The project aims to benefit rural households by supporting livelihoods through enterprise development and job creation. Another project of physical planning and housing sector presented namely, 'Construction of New Balochistan Assembly at Quetta' worth Rs9.52 billion in-principal approved the project and recommended to ECNEC for further considerations. The main objective of the project is to construct a new assembly building being planned in Quetta to replace the existing structure, can no longer accommodate the full strength of assembly members. The proposed facility, spanning a covered area of 250,000 square feet across a double basement, ground, first, and second floors, will feature a modern Main Assembly Hall with increased seating capacity, dedicated chambers for the chief minister, speaker, and deputy speaker, ministerial offices, administrative areas with a conference hall, and comprehensive parking and allied infrastructure. While reviewing the project, DCPC Ahsan Iqbal also constituted a committee to rationalise its cost scope before submission to the ECNEC for final approval and directed that top quality consulting firms should be engaged for designing and supervision work. New Balochistan Assembly building will be a gift of the federal government for the people of Balochistan. PM Shehbaz Sharif gave approval for the funding of the project. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Mint
24-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
Bangladesh's Muhammad Yunus not stepping down amid growing unease: ‘Overcoming obstacles'
Muhammad Yunus, who had expressed his desire to resign as chief adviser, will not step down and remain as the head of Bangladesh's interim government, an adviser in his cabinet said on Saturday. Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud said that Muhammad Yunus only emphasised that the interim givernment was 'overcoming obstacles'. "He [Muhammad Yunus] didn't say he will leave. He said that while we face many obstacles in carrying out the work and responsibilities assigned to us, we are overcoming them,' he told reporters after an unscheduled meeting of the advisory council. 'He [Yunus] is definitely staying.' Meanwhile, Muhammad Yunus has convened an unexpected meeting of the advisory council on Saturday. The move followed Yunus's announcement expressing his intention to resign as chief adviser, citing challenges in navigating the political deadlock and the inability of parties to reach a consensus on reforms. 'He is likely to sit with the Advisers (effectively ministers) shortly after the ECNEC (Executive Committee of the National Economic Council) meeting,' which is underway as scheduled, a news agency reported. According to the reports, Muhammad Yunus is likely to meet the advisers along with former prime minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami later on Saturday. According to the chief adviser's press wing, a BNP delegation would meet the chief advisers at 7:00 pm while Jamaat leaders would meet him at 8:00 pm. 'We have been invited by the Chief Adviser's Office to hold a meeting over the latest political situation,' a BNP spokesman told the media earlier. Just a few days ago, Muhammad Yunus said that he was mulling stepping down as he felt 'the situation is such that he cannot work". Earlier on the same day, Muhamad Yunus had also told his Cabinet that he wanted to step down. NCP convenor Nahid Islam said he urged Yunus "to stay strong for the sake of the country's security and future and to meet the expectations of the mass uprising' (and) I hope everyone will cooperate with him'. Advisers of Yunus' cabinet also persuaded him to not relinquish the post. Meanwhile, special adviser to Muhammad Yunus affirmed that he would not step down. 'For the sake of Bangladesh and a peaceful democratic transition, Professor Yunus needs to remain in office,' Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb said in a Facebook post, adding, 'The Chief Adviser is not going to step down. He does not hanker after power.' He later deleted the post.
Express Tribune
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
CDWP approves Rs21.83b worth of projects
Listen to article The Central Development Working Party (CDWP), chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Ahsan Iqbal, approved ten development projects. Of these, four projects with a total cost of Rs21.83 billion were approved at the CDWP level, while six major projects worth approximately Rs227.34 billion were referred to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for final approval. According to a press statement issued on Tuesday, the meeting was attended by Awais Manzur Sumra, Secretary Planning, Chief Economist, VC PIDE, other members of the Planning Commission, Federal Secretaries, and senior representatives from provincial governments and relevant ministries. The agenda included projects from key sectors such as Transport & Communications, Environment, Higher Education, and Information Technology. One approved IT project was the "Expansion of Safe City, Islamabad" worth Rs7.5 billion. Currently, 35% of Islamabad is under surveillance; upon completion, 100% of the city will be monitored, covering roads, religious sites, VVIP areas, and government buildings. The project will expand surveillance from 13 to 28 police stations with 3,655 additional cameras and also includes executive staff training, facial recognition systems, ANPR, and an Integrated Video Management System. Another approved project was the "Establishment of National Centre for Quantum Computing (NCQC)" worth Rs3.31 billion. It covers civil works, laboratory equipment, scholarships, international training, and institutional linkages at HUB, UET, GIKI, and NED. Ahsan Iqbal emphasised the centre's role in securing Pakistan's technological future and competitiveness in cybersecurity, AI, drug discovery, and climate modelling. A revised "Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP)" project worth Rs21.19 billion was referred to ECNEC. It addresses weaknesses in tertiary education, especially in Affiliated Colleges, by providing technology, funding mechanisms, and improved governance with World Bank support. Six Transport and Communication projects were also referred to ECNEC, including dualization of roads in Khushab, Gujranwala, and Chishtian, and a Lahore access corridor. A Rs155.4 billion highway reconstruction project under the Resilient Recovery Framework, to be 90% funded by AIIB, was also included. The CDWP also approved the Rs5.31 billion rehabilitation of railway track maintenance machines and a Rs5.7 billion Punjab Clean Air Programme targeting PM2.5 emissions through electric vehicles, fuel testing, and anti-smog agricultural practices.
Business Recorder
17-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
CDWP approves 5 uplift projects
ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) approved five development projects at cost of Rs15.9 billion and referred five major projects amounting to approximately Rs127.1 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for final approval. A marathon meeting chaired by the Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Ahsan Iqbal, which lasted over six hours, a total of ten development projects were discussed. Out of these, five projects with a cumulative cost of Rs15.9 billion were approved at the CDWP level. Additionally, five major projects, amounting to approximately Rs127.1 billion, were recommended to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for final consideration and approval. The meeting was attended by Awais Manzur Sumra, Secretary Planning, along with Chief Economist, VC PIDE, other members of the Planning Commission, Chief Economist of PC, federal secretaries, heads of Provincial Planning and Development (P&D) departments, and senior representatives from relevant federal ministries and provincial governments. The agenda focused on development projects across key sectors, including education and training, environment, governance, higher education, information technology, physical planning and housing, special areas (AJK & GB) and transport and communications. The minister directed the Planning Ministry to develop mechanism for notifying construction rates for highway and buildings projects in light of accurate cost of construction. He directed that thorough scrutiny of projects should be ensured by sponsoring departments to avoid inflated cost. He directed Higher Education Commission and Government of Punjab to coordinate on laptop procurement in order to consolidate the demand for next four years and invite leading laptop manufacturers to setup plant in Pakistan. A project related to education and training sector presented in the forum namely, 'Construction of Academic Blocks of National University of Pakistan, Islamabad (New)' worth Rs1,597.428 million has approved by CDWP the forum. A project related to environment sector presented in the meeting namely 'Formulation of National Urban Strategy and Guidelines to Reduce the Impact of Urban Flooding, Droughts, Climate Disasters and National Guidelines for Spatial Planning Considering Climate Change/Disaster Risk in Pakistan (New)' at cost of Rs106.401 million fully funded by UN Habitat approved by the CDWP forum. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
