ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Friday approved seven development projects worth Rs22.16 billion including dredging of the navigation channel of Gwadar Port.

The meeting of the CDWP presided over by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, however, deferred for necessary revisions four other projects including Gwadar Safe City Project, a cancer hospital in Islamabad, a training programme for Afghan officials and a health insurance scheme in Punjab.

The CDWP approved the Social Sector Accelerator (SSA) for Health, Nutrition, Education, Youth and Gender (HNEYG), National Priority Initiatives for Rs4.828bn. To be executed by the Ministry of Planning, the project involves a one-year Prime Minister Youth Internship Programme for fresh graduates in Pakistan.

Following interns’ selection, the ministry will facilitate their placement in host organisations spanning across the public, private and development sectors. The interns will receive a stipend of Rs25,000 per month. A total of 30,000 internships will be awarded through the one-year programme.

The meeting also approved Balochistan Urgent Response for Food Security Project for Rs1.1bn. The finance ministry is the sponsoring agency. 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.

Channel dredging

The meeting also approved maintenance dredging of the navigational channel of Gwadar Port at an estimated cost of Rs4.7bn. The revised project envisages maintenance dredging of 4.70km long navigational channel, basin and berthing area.

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-meter to permit safe berthing and sufficient clearance from bottom in low tides.

The channel is designed for navigation of 50,000 DWT (dead weight per ton) ships during all weather.

The CDWP also approved the provision of academic and research facilities and a girls’ hostel at Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad for Rs3.86bn. The prime objective of the project is to strengthen PhD/MPhil programmes and to strengthen newly started BS programmes. This requires expansion in basic infrastructural facilities within the university.

The forum also approved the establishment of a partnership between Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Government of Pakistan to address grand challenges in the health sector at the cost of Rs220m.

The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination will execute the project 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 global grand challenges programme.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2023