Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 chaired a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
The Committee approved eleven development projects across Pakistan in the energy, roads, water, health, urban development and forensic science sectors.
A key project approved in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the construction of the 40.8 MW Koto Hydropower Project in Lower Dir. Projects in Balochistan included rehabilitation and remodelling of Lasbela Canal, the water supply scheme for Gwadar from Mirani Dam, and construction of the Buleda–Proom and Proom–Chedgai roads.
The Committee also approved development of 100 MW distributed solar photovoltaic plants in Gilgit-Baltistan; installation of reactive power compensation devices in the NGC network; the Punjab Urban Land Systems Enhancement Project (PULSE); construction and upgradation of the Dirgi–Shahbozai–Taunsa Sharif road; establishment of the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Hospital in Tarlai, Islamabad; and a purpose-built laboratory for the National Forensic Agency.
The DPM/FM stressed the importance of completing development projects on schedule and without cost overruns. He directed the concerned authorities to maintain financial discipline and remove procedural bottlenecks, emphasizing that development projects should serve public welfare.
The meeting was attended by the Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Punjab’s Senior Minister, Balochistan’s Minister for Planning and Development, SAPM Tariq Bajwa, the Secretaries of Cabinet, Planning and Economic Affairs, Chairman CDA, and senior officials from provincial governments and concerned federal ministries and divisions.
