The federal planning forum has advanced roughly Rs213 billion development projects after a meeting on 26 October chaired by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal. The Central Development Working Party (CDWP)—the government body that screens public development schemes—approved 10 projects worth Rs40.915 billion and recommended three larger schemes worth Rs172.25 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), the cabinet-level panel that gives final clearance to major schemes.
Officials framed the package under the government’s URAAN Pakistan agenda. It spans water resources, education, youth development, power, roads and broadcasting. Several items were cleared only in principle, with cost reviews still required before full go-ahead.
Water schemes for KP and southern Punjab
The largest items are in the water sector. The KP Resilient Irrigated Agriculture Livelihoods Development Project is valued at Rs69.893 billion. The Asian Development Bank (ADB)—a multilateral lender—would put in Rs56.133 billion, and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government Rs11.692 billion, with land acquisition funded separately through its own PC-I. Plans include rehabilitating the Pehur Main Canal, building the Mulkhow Irrigation Distribution System, and extending the Pehur High Level Canal to strengthen irrigation and farm livelihoods.
CDWP also recommended to ECNEC the Rs85.342 billion Integrated Hill Torrent Management (Chachar–Mithawan) project in Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur, Punjab. ADB financing is put at Rs73.06 billion and the Punjab government share at Rs12.282 billion. The design covers modern spate irrigation, flood-protection channels, telemetry, and centralised Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) monitoring—systems that track water and flood flows remotely.
Schools, youth programmes and solar power
Education and youth schemes received in-principle clearance, some subject to cost cuts. A programme to set up Daanish Schools in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan, KP and Sindh is listed at Rs122.4 million, with the forum ordering costs to be rationalised. A Daanish School in Kuri, Islamabad (Rs7.357 billion) and another in Kan Mehterzai, Qila Saifullah, Balochistan (Rs4.528 billion) were also approved in principle; a technical committee is to streamline the Balochistan school.
Youth-related schemes cleared in principle include Prime Minister’s Youth Development Centers (Rs4.145 billion), the Talent Hunt Youth Sports League Phase I (Rs3.988 billion), the National Innovation Award (Rs1.97 billion), and Sports Academies with a High Performance and Resource Centre and Youth Olympics (Rs2.956 billion). The sports league would be coordinated by a steering committee under the Pakistan Sports Board.
In power, CDWP approved in principle a Rs4.395 billion pilot Battery Energy Storage System at the 220 kV Jhimpir-I grid station to support grid stability and renewable energy. The Rs13.323 billion Prime Minister’s Solar Scheme for Newly Merged Districts—aimed at off-grid household solar—was approved in principle and referred to ECNEC. Revamping Pakistan Television Corporation (PTVC) at an estimated Rs3.962 billion, focused on digital upgrades and financial sustainability, also moved forward in principle.
Road works on N-45 and in Lahore
CDWP recommended to ECNEC the Rs17.012 billion improvement and widening of National Highway N-45 Section I, a 39-kilometre Chakdara–Timergara stretch expected to draw foreign funding via Exim Bank. The upgrade is meant to ease travel toward Dir and Chitral and support trade, road safety and tourism in the Kalash, Shandur and Kumrat valleys.
Separately, the forum approved construction of an eight-lane overhead bridge at Imamia Colony Railway Crossing on National Highway N-5 in Shahdara, Lahore, costing Rs7.492 billion, plus connecting-road work to ease congestion in Shahdara Town.
Most large outlays still need ECNEC approval or further technical tweaks. Until those steps finish, budgets and timelines remain provisional.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Sarkar ne October 26 ko lagbhag 213 arab rupay ke taraqiati mansoobon ko age barhaya hai. In mein KP mein canal aur ziraat, Punjab ke DG Khan aur Rajanpur mein flood control, aur merge districts mein solar shamil hain. Kai school, youth aur road projects bhi principle mein pass hue; bade mansoobon ki akhiree manzoori ECNEC se hogi. Aam logon ke liye iska matlab hai behtar pani, bijli ke options, aur kuch shehri traffic ke masail kam karne ki koshish—lekin kaam tab shuru hoga jab final clearance mil jaye.
