ISLAMABAD: On Tuesday, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) authorised six projects, including the “Prime Minister’s National Programme for Solarization of Agriculture Tube Wells” that aims to aid the farming community and achieve national food security. The ECNEC meeting, presided over by Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Minister of Finance and Revenue, gave the go-ahead for the solarization of tube wells in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Balochistan at a cost of Rs 377,236.275 million over three years. “For the fiscal year 2023–2024, Phase I of the project will cost Rs 90 billion, including Rs 30 billion from PSDP and an equivalent share from the province governments and beneficiary farmers.
The project is to be executed by the Ministry of National Food Security through the Federal Water Management Cell (FWMC) and Provincial Departments of Agriculture.
The ECNEC also considered and approved a project titled “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rural Investment & Industrial Support Project (RIISP)” to be executed by the KP government in District Bajur, Khyber, Kurram, Mohmand, North Waziristan, Orakzai, South Waziristan and erstwhile Frontier Regions at a cost of Rs 110.700 million including IDA (International Development Association) loan of $300 million from World Bank with provincial government share of Rs 29,700 million (in kind).
The project would be completed in two phases with a six-year period each completing in 2023-2029 and 2029-2031.
The ECNEC also considered a revised PC-I of an ongoing project of the Sindh government titled “Sindh Solar Energy Project (SSEP)” executed in the province by its Energy Department at a revised cost of Rs 27,418.13 million including FEC (Foreign Exchange Component) of Rs 24,265.57 million.
The project is to be financed through World Bank (WB) loan i.e. IDA credit of $100 million (95.2%) and $5 million by Govt. of Sindh (4.7%). “This ongoing project will improve energy security and fulfill Pakistan’s international commitments on climate change,” it added.
The ECNEC further considered and approved a project of Ministry of Energy (Power Division) titled “Evacuation of Power from 800 MW Mohmand Dam HPP to the National Grid (PC-I)” at a rationalized cost of Rs 14,319.18 million including FEC of Rs 6,318.38 million.
The financing source of the project is Asian Development Bank (ADB) which would be executed by National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC) in districts Nowshera, Peshawar and Mohmand of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.
Besides, the ECNEC okayed a project of Ministry of Communications titled “Construction of Lahore Bypass from Kalashah Kaku Exit to KLM to Multan Road near Radio Station (40km approx)” at a rationalized cost of Rs 34,446.585 million without FEC.
The project would be executed by National Highway Authority (NHA) in districts Lahore and Sheikhupura of Punjab Province, financed by the federal government under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
The ECNEC also approved a revised project to be executed by Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination and provincial health departments in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) titled “Emergency Plan for Polio Eradication” at a cumulative cost of
$1,784.90 million, for polio eradication and making Pakistan free of the crippling disease.
Among others, Minister for Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Finance Tariq Bajwa, SAPM on Revenue Tariq Mehmood Pasha, Senator Nisar Ahmad Khuhro, KP Finance Advisor Himayatullah Khan, federal secretaries and senior officers from federal and provincial departments attended the meeting.
