30 projects worth Rs.183.6b approved
By Asad Cheema

ISLAMABAD—The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) Wednesday approved 30 projects at a total cost of Rs. 183.6 billion including a foreign component of Rs 91.1 billion. The projects including 25 new ones, with focus on the development of Infrastructure, Physical Planning & Housing, Transport & Communication, Social, Production and Governance sectors were approved in ECNEC meeting held here with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in chair. Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Dr. Muhammad Akram Shaikh flanked by Secretary Planning Humayun Farshori briefed the newsmen about the decisions of ECNEC meeting — second of this fiscal year.
Dr. Akram Shaikh informed that the new 25 projects have been approved at a cost of Rs 157.3 billion including a foreign component of Rs 87.8 billion. Whereas five old projects were approved with a revised cost of Rs 26.3 billion, which also included a foreign component of Rs. 3.3 billion, he added. The Deputy Chairman Planning Commission said, the ECNEC also decided to make the disclosure clause as essential part of all future procurement contracts for the supply of good and services at federal and provincial levels.
This decision would not only ensure transparency in procurement process, but will also help reveal the real income of sellers and suppliers to the Central Board of Revenue for tax purposes, he added. Dr. Akram Shaikh further informed that the ECNEC also gave a formal approval to a Rs 1.7 billion pilot project of the Prime Minister’s Initiative for Livestock. The project would be for the whole of Pakistan including Azad Kashmir, Northern Areas and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), he added. The Deputy Chairman Planning Commission said, livestock was an important sector of our economy and specially the milk, which in terms of value is considered as more important than wheat. He said, Pakistan is the fifth largest milk producing country in the world, which is a regular income item, and the development and growth of this sector would also have a impact on poverty alleviation.Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Dr. Akram Shaikh giving details of projects said, the ECNEC approved 17 infrastructure projects worth Rs. 118.2 billion including a foreign component of Rs 68.5 billion and relating to Energy, Physical Planning & Housing, Transport & Communication and Water sectors. In energy sector, two projects worth Rs. 12.049 billion including a foreign component of Rs. 5.111 billion were approved. These included Transmission scheme for dispersal of power from Neelum Jhelum Hydro Power Project (Rs.11.216 billion with Rs. 4.879 billion as foreign component) and Feasibility Study, detailed engineering design and preparation of tendered documents for Bunji Hydro Power Project (Rs. 833 million with Rs. 232 million as foreign component).
This decision would not only ensure transparency in procurement process, but will also help reveal the real income of sellers and suppliers to the Central Board of Revenue for tax purposes, he added. Dr. Akram Shaikh further informed that the ECNEC also gave a formal approval to a Rs 1.7 billion pilot project of the Prime Minister’s Initiative for Livestock. The project would be for the whole of Pakistan including Azad Kashmir, Northern Areas and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), he added. The Deputy Chairman Planning Commission said, livestock was an important sector of our economy and specially the milk, which in terms of value is considered as more important than wheat. He said, Pakistan is the fifth largest milk producing country in the world, which is a regular income item, and the development and growth of this sector would also have a impact on poverty alleviation.
In Physical Planning and Housing sector, the ECNEC approved 5 projects worth Rs. 15.01 billion including four projects for Sindh province. These included Lyari Expressway Resettlement Project (Rs. 4.686 billion), Construction of Accommodation for Bhattai Rangers (Rs. 616 million), Karachi Water Supply K-III (Rs. 8.561 billion), Construction of Accommodation for Abdullah Shah Ghazi Rangers at Karachi (Rs. 606 million), and Construction of Office Building for National Accountability Bureau Headquarters Islamabad (Rs. 541 million). In Transport and Communication sector, the ECNEC gave approval to 9 projects worth Rs. 69.395 billion, with a foreign component of Rs. 45.999 billion.
These include Inter-connect Billing and Customer Support System for SCO (Rs. 580 million), Improvement of National Highway, Kararo Wad Section in Balochistan (Rs. 2.328 billion), Korangi 8000 Road, Sindh (Rs.1.077 billion), National Highway Development Sector Project (Rs. 31.242 billion), Black Topping Winder Kanraj Road upto Dudder — 106 Km, Balochistan (Rs.756 million), Procurement/Manufacture of MT 75 Diesel Electric Locomotives (Rs. 12.7 billion), Procurement/Manufacture of 150 new design passenger coaches (Rs. 5.977 billion), Rehabilitation and Improvement of Railway Track 2001-2007-Revised (Rs.9.405 billion), and Procurement/Manufacture of 1000 High Capacity Bogie Wagons (Rs. 5.33 billion). The ECNEC also approved a water sector project National Drainage Programme (NDP) — Revised PC.I at a cost of Rs. 21.778 billion with a foreign component of Rs. 17.38 billion.
The ECNEC also gave approval to 6 Social Sector projects relating to drought, education, population welfare and provision of safe drinking water at a cost of Rs.7.252 billion, with a foreign component of Rs.2.757 billion. These include DERA, Special Package for Re-stocking and Rehabilitation of small Ruminants Perished due to Persistent Drought, Balochistan (Rs.650 million), Punjab Schools Libraries Project, Punjab (Rs.1.248 billion), Science Education Project (Rs.2.42 billion), Construction of Captain Kernal Sher Khan Shaheed Cadit College Swabi, NWFP (Rs.597 million), Establishment of Additional RHS — A Centers Punjab (Rs.924 million), and Provision of Safe Drinking Water (Rs.1.413 billion).
Two projects worth Rs 3.533 billion were approved in the production sectors including Prime Minister’s Special Initiative on Livestock (Rs.1.696 billion) and Barani Village Development Project (Rs. 1.837 billion). The ECNEC approved three projects worth Rs.48.3 billion with Rs 18.3 billion as foreign component in governance sector projects including Federal Access to Justice Programme (Rs. 6.42 billion), Provincial Access to Justice Programme (Rs.11.88 billion) and DERA-II (Rs. 30 billion). Dr. Akram Shaikh said, the ECNEC approved another two projects worth Rs. 6.394 billion with Rs.672 million as foreign component. These included Post Doctoral Fellowship for University Teacher (Rs.1.252 billion) and Rawalpindi Environment Improvement Project (Rs.5.142 billion).