Government approves four projects costing Rs.71.4 bn

ISLAMABAD: The Government’s development wing (CDWP) approved four development projects costing Rs.71.4 bn during a recent meeting held on Wednesday, headed by the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman, Dr Mohammad Jahanzeb Khan.

The main project approved by the CDWP is the World Bank-funded “Punjab Resilient and Inclusive Agriculture Transformation”, amounting to a total of Rs. 58.5 bn. The project has been forwarded to the Executive Committee of National Economic Council for approval.

The two-phased project focuses on improving agricultural yields and crop diversification throughout Punjab over a course of 5 years. The project includes improvement in water conveyance, high-yield production, crop diversification, accessibility to markets, monitoring, and regenerative agriculture.

The authority also approved the establishment of the National Institute of Heart Diseases (NIHD), costing around Rs.7.9 bn. The project entails a preventative research and development centre for cardio vascular diseases. The development project aims at providing advanced preventive research, reducing the burden of treatment on the community.

Another project approved by the authority is upgrading the Nuclear Institute of Medicine and Radiotherapy (NIMRA), costing a total of Rs.1.2 bn. The institute was established in 1965, becoming Pakistan’s first oncology institute for providing cancer-related medical facilities to the district of Jamshoro and its surrounding region.