Overview
- The Central Development Working Party, which met Thursday, cleared 12 projects with a total cost of Rs435.665 billion, approving six schemes worth Rs16.904 billion and recommending six major projects costing Rs418.761 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council for final approval.
- Power-sector work featured heavily: five Asset Performance Management System (APMS) projects for DISCOs and a BEST-PAK capacity-building item were approved, while APMS for LESCO and a Rs194.951 billion reactive-power compensation project for the national grid were escalated to ECNEC for further scrutiny.
- Large infrastructure and social projects sent to ECNEC include the Rs60.493 billion Babu Sabu wastewater treatment plant in Lahore, the Rs64.096 billion Jalalpur Irrigation Canal Project (about 87% ADB financed), the Rs43.081 billion Punjab Urban Land Systems Enhancement Project (PULSE), and the Rs32.075 billion Southern Punjab Poverty Alleviation Project financed by IFAD.
- Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal ordered that procurement specialists be included in mega-project teams, that DISCO project cost estimates be standardised, and that proper load assessments be carried out to reduce the risk of cost overruns, procurement delays and mismatched technical planning.
- Approved smaller items include the Rs2.891 billion Smart Islamabad Initiative Phase I to build an integrated governance and security platform, and these CDWP decisions advance the government's URAAN Pakistan reform agenda by targeting energy reliability, water treatment, urban digitisation and poverty reduction while donor financing will shape timelines and safeguards.