CDWP Clears Seven Development Projects Worth Nearly Rs116 Billion

• The CDWP approved five projects worth Rs21.59 billion and recommended two major schemes valued at Rs94.30 billion to ECNEC.
• The projects cover agriculture, tax reforms, higher education, information technology, sports infrastructure and water management.
• Ahsan Iqbal directed authorities to establish measurable targets, involve the private sector and ensure timely, accountable implementation.

The Central Development Working Party has cleared seven development projects with a combined value of nearly Rs116 billion under the Uraan Pakistan initiative, covering several important sectors of the national economy.

The meeting was held in Islamabad on September 11 under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal, who also serves as deputy chairman of the Planning Commission.

Five projects valued at Rs21.59 billion were approved directly by the CDWP, while two larger schemes with a combined cost of Rs94.301 billion were recommended to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council for further consideration.

The meeting was attended by the planning secretary, chief economist, vice chancellor of the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Planning Commission members, federal secretaries, heads of provincial planning and development departments, and senior representatives of federal ministries and provincial governments.

The projects span food and agriculture, governance, higher education, information technology, sports and water management. According to the government, the schemes support Uraan Pakistan’s broader objectives of strengthening human capital, modernising governance, improving infrastructure and promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

In the agriculture sector, the CDWP approved the revised second phase of the Promotion of Olive Cultivation on Commercial Scale in Pakistan project at a cost of Rs5.015 billion.

Ahsan Iqbal said the initiative was initially launched in 2014 under Vision 2025 and should have been managed with a more professional, results-driven approach and stronger private-sector participation.

He noted that several private companies had already developed successful olive cultivation models and directed officials to use their expertise to accelerate commercial production. He highlighted the potential of the Kallar Kahar-Islamabad corridor and the wider Potohar region, while the project also seeks to expand olive farming in Balochistan and the newly merged districts.

The minister said Pakistan’s olive plantation programme should ultimately target one million acres.

The CDWP recommended the Federal Board of Revenue’s Transforming and Digitalizing Revenue Administration project to ECNEC. The Rs57.109 billion scheme is expected to receive foreign financing through an Asian Development Bank soft-term loan and technical assistance.

During the review, Ahsan Iqbal called for clear and measurable targets related to revenue collection, improvement in the tax-to-GDP ratio and expansion of the taxpayer base.

FBR officials assured the forum that the project would help raise Pakistan’s tax-to-GDP ratio to 13.5 per cent by 2029 and bring more taxpayers into the formal tax system. The project was recommended to ECNEC on the condition that PIDE thoroughly evaluate its business model.

The forum also approved a revised Higher Education Commission project for establishing the Dr Ashfaq Ahmad Khan Centre in Basic Sciences. Initially approved in March 2018, the centre was part of eight national technology centres but remained incomplete because of land-related complications.

Ahsan Iqbal described the delay as unfortunate, noting that seven other centres focusing on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, big data and cloud computing, geographic information systems and satellite technology, automation and robotics, applied mathematics, and livestock and genomics had already been completed.

He formed a committee comprising the Planning Commission’s members for infrastructure and science and technology to update the centre’s scope by incorporating emerging fields and rationalising its cost, as eight years had passed since its initial approval.

The minister also instructed HEC to identify suitable universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan for establishing one similar centre in each province.

He said universities must become engines of innovation and build strong systems for research commercialisation. HEC was also directed to upgrade laboratories at five engineering universities across the country, with the minister stressing that the University of Engineering and Technology should become a globally recognised institution for producing highly qualified engineers.

Two information technology and space-related projects were also considered. The Rs37.192 billion PakSat-2 Satellite System was recommended to ECNEC, while the Rs3.623 billion GEOSPATIALx COMPLEx, a Geo-AI Development and Innovation Hub, received CDWP approval.

Ahsan Iqbal described the development of Pakistan’s space programme as an important component of Uraan Pakistan.

The forum approved a Rs5.758 billion project to revamp and refurbish facilities at the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad.

The project covers civil and external development work, renovation of existing facilities, establishment of the South Asian Games Secretariat, electrical upgrades and rehabilitation of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems. It also includes improvements to plumbing and firefighting facilities, along with the installation of modern security and surveillance systems.

Ahsan Iqbal directed officials to submit the project summary to the prime minister for in-principle approval. He also raised concerns about the Pakistan Sports Board’s implementation capacity and said the executing agency must be institutionally equipped to deliver the project effectively.

Referring to earlier difficulties caused by weaknesses in the Sports Board’s performance, the minister called for clear, single-point responsibility for implementation and accountability instead of overlapping duties among multiple organisations.

The CDWP also approved a Rs338.179 million WAPDA project to improve the high-frequency radio network of its Water Resources Management Directorate. The scheme is expected to be financed through a combination of foreign loans and Public Sector Development Programme funding.

Ahsan Iqbal said reliable communication systems were essential for effective water-resource management. He directed the relevant authorities to complete the project on time, use its resources efficiently and ensure that the investment produces measurable operational improvements.