On Tuesday, the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) approved three development projects totalling Rs76.5 billion.
The meeting was attended by various representatives, including the Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal, the Secretary Planning Ministry, Chief Economist, Members Planning Commission, and representatives from different ministries and divisions. The projects discussed were related to the Ministry of Communication and provincial projects.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rural Accessibility Project, with a cost of Rs69.44 billion, was referred to the Executive Committee of the National Executive Council. Meanwhile, the Construction of a 6-lane Overhead Bridge at Imamia Colony Railway Crossing Shahara, which would cost Rs3.958 billion, and the Construction and Sindh Health Support Programme, worth Rs3.098 billion, were approved.
The CDWP approved the construction of a 6-lane Overhead Bridge at Imamia Colony Railway Crossing Shahara, with the condition that the National Highways Authority (NHA) would charge a toll tax after the construction. The Ministry of Communication is the sponsoring agency of the project. The proposed overhead bridge would measure 613m in length and would facilitate free traffic flow on National Highway N-5.
The rail track between Lahore and Faisalabad intercepts N-5 dual carriageway at Imamia Colony, 1.5km north of Shahdara railway. The Construction and Sindh Health Support Programme, with a cost of Rs3.098 billion, was approved by the forum. The provincial government of Sindh is the sponsoring agency of the project.
The PC-I envisages localizing the National UHC Benefit Package, and the province of Sindh has developed the provincial EPHS to become the first province in Pakistan.
The Sindh EPHS for UHC BP has prioritized 131 interventions as District EPHS, including 94 interventions as an immediate priority. Out of these, 21 are at the community level, 37 at the PHC facility level, and 36 at the First Level Hospital (FLH) level. The interventions aim to improve health and provide resilient health infrastructure by addressing accessibility, equity, responsiveness, social and financial risk protection, and improved efficiency.