The Central Development Working Party (CDWP), in a meeting chaired by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, on Tuesday approved six development projects worth Rs. 151 billion.
Of the approved projects, four are valued at Rs. 11.20 billion, while the remaining two, valued at Rs. 140.129 billion, have been referred to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council for its consideration/approval.
During the meeting, the participants deliberated on projects related to Higher Education, Tourism and Transport and Communications. After detailed discussions, the CDWP approved the “Development of Infrastructure at LUAWMS Phase-II (Revised)” for Rs. 1851.491 million; the “Establishment of National Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (NCNN)-New” for Rs. 2771.800 million; the Establishment of National Center for Manufacturing (NCM)-New” for Rs. 4,289.880 million; and the “Improvement of Academic Facilities at University of Karachi (Revised)” for Rs. 2,292.032 million.
The two projects referred for consideration pertain to Tourism and Transport and Communication. The “Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Integrated Tourism Development Project (KITE) IDA Assisted (Revised)” worth Rs. 27,303.804 would be financed through a World Bank loan. It aims to develop tourism in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa for economic growth, employment and revenue generation, progress of local communities and poverty reduction through construction of roads, tourism allied infrastructure, visitor facilities, marketing, skills development, institutional and regulatory reforms and creating enabling environment for private sector operations.
The second project referred, “Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Rural Accessibility Project (KP-RAP) Revised” is valued at Rs. 112,826 million. It would be co-financed by the World Bank (93.81%) and Government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (6.19%). The project aims to enhance rural connectivity through the rehabilitation, reconstruction, and upgrading of roads and bridges in 23 districts of the province, including the merged districts. It has been designed to improve access to markets, schools, and healthcare facilities while ensuring climate resilience and road safety improvements.