The World Bank says its $70 million Connected Punjab programme cannot yet take effect, because the financing and implementation agreements that would start it remain unsigned. The Bank's latest progress review, which looks at the project's first stage, also records no withdrawals against the revised allocation of $69.25 million. The programme was approved on June 30, 2026, and is scheduled to close on June 30, 2031. Neither the review nor the coverage gives a date for when the agreements are expected to be signed.
The programme is meant to widen fixed broadband internet, move more government services online and expand cashless payments across Punjab. Several steps have to come first, including approval of planning documents. In Pakistan, a PC-I is the formal project proforma that sets out a scheme's scope and cost before public money can be committed to it.
Where the approvals stand
The Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), the province's IT agency, has secured approval from the Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP), the body that clears development schemes in Punjab, for PC-Is covering the first two results areas. Two pieces are still outstanding. The financing agreement and the implementation entity agreement have not been signed, and the PC-I for cashless transactions, along with the investment project financing (IPF) component, which is the loan-funded part of the work, has yet to be approved.
The Bank rated progress towards the programme's objectives and its overall implementation as "moderately satisfactory", with an overall risk rating of moderate. The government also faces a set of deadlines. It must set rules for reimbursing or waiving right-of-way fees by January 31, 2027, and make Punjab's e-Biz portal handle right-of-way applications by December 2027.
What the targets cover
On broadband, the goal is to lift the number of people covered by fixed broadband from 7.8 million in April 2026 to 9.9 million by July 2031. The programme also plans to identify 82 urbanised areas for coverage and to mobilise $50 million in private capital. Right-of-way permits, the approvals companies need before digging roads to lay cables, should drop from an average of 90 days down to 21, by June 2031, with 40 agencies processing them on a digital platform.
Digital services come with their own timetable. An AI Oversight Committee with citizen representation is due by June 2027, while an AI-for-service-delivery roadmap and a data governance framework are due by December 2027. Personal data protection and cybersecurity strategies follow by June 2028. The programme targets 28 AI-enabled services by June 2031, and a rise in the share of women using digitally enabled government-to-citizen services, from 19% in March 2026 to 30%.
On payments, the aim is to bring 350,000 people onto cashless systems by June 2031, including 105,000 women and 157,500 young people. Other targets include a regulatory framework for point-of-sale (PoS) service providers, a digital invoice management system, and integrated digital PoS platforms in 35 business sectors. PoS device certification procedures and a strategic plan for cashless adoption are still among the required steps.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- March 2026: the share of women using digitally enabled government-to-citizen services stands at 19%, the programme's baseline.
- April 2026: fixed broadband covers 7.8 million people, the starting point for the coverage target.
- June 30, 2026: the programme is approved.
- January 31, 2027: deadline for right-of-way fee reimbursement or waiver procedures.
- June 2027: AI Oversight Committee due.
- June 30, 2031: scheduled close.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Punjab ka $70 million wala Connected Punjab programme abhi shuru nahi hua, kyunki zaroori financing aur implementation agreements par dastakhat nahi hue. Is ka maqsad fixed broadband internet, online sarkari services aur cashless payments ko Punjab mein barhana hai. Aam logon ke liye iska matlab hai ke internet aur digital services ki behtari mein kuch dair ho sakti hai. Abhi tak loan ka koi paisa nikala nahi gaya, aur zyadatar targets 2031 tak hain.
