ECNEC greenlights 10 uplift projects worth Rs372 billion

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved ten development projects, amounting to an impressive Rs372 billion.
In a session chaired by Caretaker Federal Minister for Finance, Revenue & Economic Affairs, Dr Shamshad Akhtar, on Monday, the Finance division revealed the nod given to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Security Support Project. Valued at Rs. 44.6 billion, the initiative aims to tackle climate vulnerabilities, enhance food security, and improve the livelihoods of rural farm households in the flood-damaged districts of the KP province over a tenure of five years. The project will be implemented across seven districts, including Upper Dir, Swat, Malakand, Charsadda, Peshawar, Nowshera, and Dera Ismail Khan.
Another notable approval is the “Sindh School Rehabilitation Project under Flood Restoration Programme (ADB Emergency Assisted),” amounting to Rs. 30.7 billion. With a provincial government share of Rs. 2.7 billion and an ADB loan of Rs. 2.5 billion, the project aims to rehabilitate 1,607 schools in severely affected districts of Sindh, including Dadu, Khairpur Mirs, Larkana, Nausharu Feroze, and Qambar Shahdadkot.
The ECNEC also gave the green light to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Human Capital Investment Project (KP-HCIP) on the Education Component, with a total cost of Rs. 11.7 billion. This initiative will focus on the rehabilitation and reconstruction of 1,165 damaged schools across 13 districts of KP.
In a bid to empower the youth, the ECNEC approved the “Prime Minister’s Laptop Scheme,” implemented through the Higher Education Commission (HEC), with a total investment of Rs. 6 billion.
Furthermore, the ECNEC sanctioned a Rs. 8.6 billion projects under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Human Capital Investment Project (KP-HCIP) for the health sector. This initiative aims to improve the availability, utilization, and quality of primary healthcare services for host communities and refugees through the provision of essential medicines, family planning commodities, hospital waste management, and outsourcing of lab/pharmaceutical/janitorial services.
The ECNEC also endorsed the “Women Inclusive Finance” project, allocating Rs. 11.2 billion to reduce constraints on Pakistani women in accessing credit. This initiative provides a Credit Line Facility (CLF) to ensure more funds are available for lending to women.
Infrastructure development also took center stage, with the ECNEC giving the green light to the Ministry of Railways’ project, “Thar Coal Railway Connectivity,” at a rationalized cost of Rs. 19.2 billion. This project aims to connect Thar Coal with the existing railway network, including Last Mile Connectivity with Port Qasim, on a 50:50 basis between the Federal Government and the Government of Sindh.
Additionally, the ECNEC approved the Ministry of Communications project, “Peshawar Northern Bypass Project (PNBP),” at a cost of Rs. 9.6 billion. The project involves the construction of a 32.20 km, 4-lane bypass on the northern side of Peshawar.
However, the Greater Thal Canal Project (Phase-II) was deferred, with directives to develop a comprehensive summary of the status of consultations among provinces and the implementation of past ECNEC decisions.
Finally, the ECNEC considered and approved the Sindh Barrage Improvement Project (Phase-II), submitted by the Ministry of Water Resources. The rehabilitation and modernization of Sukkur Barrage, along with the remaining works for the rehabilitation and modernization of Guddu Barrage, will take place at a total cost of Rs. 26.6 billion.