While proudly presenting the 16- month ‘achievements’ of the Ministry for Planning Development & Special Initiatives, Professor Ahsan Iqbal said that the country stands on its feet with dignity through progress in a just short span of time. The launching ceremony of “Performance report of the ministry from April 2022 to August 2023’was held on Wednesday at the packed auditorium of the ministry during the last working day of the minister, was attended by the members of the planning commission, technical staff and all officers of the ministry. The 29-page report gives comprehensive achievements of the ministry from April 19, 2022 to August 9, 2023. During the said period, the Planning Commission managed to hold 33 meetings of the Central Development Working Party (CDWP), while 12 meetings of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) were held. A large number of development projects and schemes of strategic significance were considered and approved by these development during this period, said the report. The report emphasized that during the same period special attention was given to the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) and the Planning Ministry increased the PSDP from Rs 500 billion to Rs 1150 billion for 2023-2024, overcoming financial limitations while ensuring transparency through the PSDP Portal, which provides digital access to 1.1 trillion worth of PSDP data. While highlighting the performance of the CDWP, the reports said, that CDWP projects that have been approved shows the sensitization of priorities. After the infra- structural projects, the major emphasis been laid on the projects of Human Development. It further said that that since April 2022, the Planning Ministry has placed special emphasis upon youth empowerment and inclusive development. This section includes several strategic initiatives undertaken by the Ministry and announced as part of the PM's Youth Development Program. Under this program, six initiatives are on education, four center around engagement and opportunities, and two each for employment and entrepreneurship. 5 National Top Talent Scholarships Programe will provide Pakistani students with Masters and Ph.D. degrees in the top 25 universities of the World. In this regard, Rs 4.7b has been allocated for this project. Establishment of Centres of Excellence on Emerging Technologies, National Centre for Nano-Technology, National Centre for Quantum Computing and National Institute of New Manufacturing was a great success of the planning ministry. Furthermore, the establishment of the National Growth Centre will help in increasing the country’s growth. Despite an already ailing economy, the Ministry conducted the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) and devised a resilient relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction (4RF) framework. This resulted in pledges of $10 billion from international donors during the International Conference on Climate Resistant Pakistan in Geneva on January 9, said the report. The report highlighted that on November 12, 2022, a pioneering initiative worth Rs 40 billion was launched, targeting 20 underdeveloped districts. This marked the first time the federal government intervened to uplift impoverished districts, addressing economic disparities. Simultaneously, the Planning Ministry reconstituted the Advisory Committee to enhance policy formulation and implementation. The crowning achievement was the launch of the '5Es Framework to Turnaround Pakistan', prioritizing Exports, Energy, Environment, E-Pakistan, and Equity & Empowerment. This framework will prove to be the bedrock for transforming Pakistan into a $1 trillion economy by 2035. Approved by the National Economic Council in June 2023, the framework offers a tangible pathway for economic revival in five priority areas, including Exports, E-Pakistan, Environment and Climate Change, Energy and Infrastructure, and Equity and Empowerment, explained the report. Pakistan Outlook 2035, Revival of CPEC were another milestone achievement of the ministry during this period of time, said the report. The digital censuses were the landmark achievement of the ministry. This was the first time in the country’s history that Council of Common Interest CCI approved the results of the digital census. Recognizing the significance of Higher Education, the Planning Ministry allocated a historic budget increase for the Higher Education Commission (HEC), raising it from Rs 45 billion to Rs 70 billion. This step was further augmented by the establishment of three centers of excellence: In November 2022, the Young Development Fellows (YDF) program was revived while giving opportunity to the 40 YDFs to learn policy matters in the ministry.
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