ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) approved seven development projects worth Rs22.16 billion during its meeting held here with Federal Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal in the chair.
The meeting was attended by the Secretary Planning Ministry, Chief Economist, Members Planning Commission and representatives from the various ministries and divisions. The forum considered seven projects related to the Ministry of Planning Development and Special Initiatives, Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination and HEC, said a press release issued here.
The forum approved Balochistan Urgent Response for Food Security Project at the cost of Rs 1,100.000 million, Maintenance Dredging of Navigation Channel of Gwadar Port at the cost of Rs 4,669.762m, Social Sector Accelerator SSA for Health, Nutrition, Education, Youth and Gender, National Priority Initiatives (2nd 9revised) at the cost of Rs 4,825.05m, Provision of Academic & Research Facilities and Girls Hostel at Quaid-e-Azam University at the cost of Rs3,860.355m, Establishment of Partnership between Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and GOP to address grand challenges in Health Sector at the cost of Rs 220.000m, King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Hospital at Tarlai, Islamabad, at the cost of Rs2,499.993m, and Sanitary Sewerage System with Treatment Plant in Gilgit city at the cost of Rs4,988.704m.
The CDWP approved Social Sector Accelerator SSA for Health, Nutrition, Education, Youth and Gender (HNEYG), National Priority Initiatives (2nd Revision) at the cost of Rs 4,828.05 million. The Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives is the sponsoring agency of the project.
To address this key issue, the Ministry of Planning and Development proposed a one-year ôPrime Minister Youth Internship Programö for fresh graduates in Pakistan. Under the program, the Ministry will award paid internships to all eligible applicants that qualify for the program through the proposed selection criterion for a duration of six months.
Following their selection, the Ministry will facilitate the placement of interns in positions relevant to their skills and job function in host organizations spanning across the public, private and development sectors.
Furthermore, the Interns will receive a stipend of Rs 25,000/month. A total of 30,000 internships will be awarded through the one-year program. Upon the successful completion of their internship, interns will be awarded an internship certificate by their host organization and by the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives. The six-month internship program will include three online mentorship sessions culminating in an individual career development plan, one online training course on soft skills, one online training course on industry-relevant technical skills, one two-day voluntary activity, recurring monthly work plans and monthly progress reports, and one final internship report along with internship outputs.
The forum approved Balochistan Urgent Response for Food Security Project at the cost of Rs 1,100.000 million. The Ministry of Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs is the sponsoring agency of the project. The project envisages the revival of agriculture production in the severe flood-affected districts of the Nasirabad Division which is considered the granary of the province. The project will support the provision of rice seeds for increased productivity to 60,000 farm households in the target districts. Each beneficiary farmer will receive 40 kilograms of rice seed which will be sufficient for cultivating rice on 2 to 2.5 acres (0.8 to 1.0 hectares) of land.
Furthermore, the project will provide climate adaptive (resilient) certified rice seeds such as short-duration varieties having tolerance to abiotic drought, heat and biotic disease-free stress to ensure resilience. The project will provide small farming toolkits for agricultural activities and gumshoes for safer rice transplanting for at least 60,000 women.á
Maintenance Dredging of the Navigational Channel of Gwadar Port at the cost of Rs 4,669.762 million was also approved by the forum. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs is the sponsoring agency of the project. The revised Project envisages, Maintenance Dredging of a 4.70-kilometre-long Navigational Channel, basin and berthing area of Gwadar Port.
Its Internal Navigational Channel and Turning Basin design depth is 13.8 meters for safe navigation of deep draft vessels and the Berthing Area and Outer channel are dredged to 14.5 meters to permit safe berthing and sufficient clearance from the bottom in low tides. The channel is designed for the navigation of 50,000 DWT ships during all weather.
The forum also approved the Provision of Academic and Research Facilities and a Girls’ Hostel at Quaid-e-Azam University, at the cost of Rs3,860.355m. The HEC is the sponsoring agency of the project. The prime objective of the project is to strengthen PhD/MPhil programs and to strengthen newly started BS programs. This requires expansion in basic infrastructural facilities within the university. It will include expansion in physical infrastructure (Academic Block, Examination/Services Block, Students Hostels, Centralized Laboratory, Boundary Wall, Cafeteria and Laboratory Equipment for graduate students.
The forum approved the Establishment of a Partnership between the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and GOP to address grand challenges in the Health Sector at the cost of Rs 220.000 million. The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination is the sponsoring agency of the project.
It is a new project with the purpose to provide grants for improving the health sector (management and delivery) in ICT, AJK and GB using innovative approaches and technologies from researchers, entrepreneurs, scholars and practitioners in Pakistan, in alignment with the goals of the global grand challenges program.
Accordingly, all the projects to be taken up will be developmental interventions that have seldom been tried before warranting. During the first round, the projects will function over a period of 5 years, which is the most critical period from the perspective of attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the year 2030.
The forum approved a project of King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Hospital at Tarlai, Islamabad, at the cost of Rs 2,499.993m. The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination is the sponsoring agency hospital.
The hospital will be established in ICT and it will accommodate a 200 beds facility for the specialities of Medicine, Surgery, Gynecology, OPD and Emergency Services including residential accommodation for doctors and nurses and a mosque.
