CDWP signs off on seven schemes, sends two major projects to ECNEC

The Central Development Working Party on Saturday cleared nine development proposals, approving seven schemes worth Rs34.66 billion and referring two projects of Rs44.62 billion to ECNEC for final approval, the planning ministry said.

The largest item taken up was the revised “Automation of Pakistan Post” project, now costing Rs6.64 billion and to be financed through the Export–Import Bank of Korea. Officials told the meeting the scheme had been originally approved in 2017 at Rs2.2 billion but stalled amid policy shifts, pushing costs to around Rs6.5 billion and contributing to Pakistan Post losing an estimated 65 percent of its market share to digital competitors. The upgraded plan covers automation of 2,761 post offices, a core banking system, ICT strengthening and modernised remittance, insurance and logistics services. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said the overhaul had become unavoidable and would help the postal service re-enter e-commerce activity and improve public service delivery.

Higher education formed another major component of the review. The CDWP approved the Rs1.93 billion second phase of the University of Turbat, which includes academic blocks, hostels, residences, internal infrastructure, electrification, drainage, IT networking, furniture and laboratory equipment. Iqbal said Balochistan’s educational development remained a priority for the PML-N government, recalling the establishment of universities and sub-campuses in remote areas and previous support to BUITEMS and Sardar Bahadur Khan Women’s University. He noted that the first phase of a scholarship programme had awarded 5,000 scholarships to students from Balochistan and ex-FATA, with new overseas legal education scholarships added in the second phase. The minister restored earlier cuts to the laboratory budget, enhanced library allocations and directed the installation of solar systems at the university.

According to the statement, the CDWP’s agenda covered governance, health, power, physical planning and IT. Other approvals included a Daanish School in Chitral (Rs3.32 billion), capacity enhancement of federal entities (Rs5.43 billion), stroke and critical care facilities at PIMS (Rs7.22 billion), the Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Programme (Rs4.83 billion) and rehabilitation of hydropower stations (Rs5.27 billion).