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    Rural development projects will help to alleviate poverty and uplift living standard of the people – Omar Ayub Khan

    Rural development projects will help to alleviate poverty and uplift living standard of the people – Omar Ayub Khan

    Chitral Times Report

    ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Mr. Omar Ayub Khan chaired a high-level meeting of National Coordination Committee on Foreign-Funded Projects (NCC-FFP) and reviewed the progress of development projects being implemented by the Government of Punjab. The meeting was attended by the representatives of Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, Finance Division, Chairman P&D Board Punjab and relevant provincial secretaries & project directors. During the meeting, the NCC-FFP reviewed the compliance status of committee’s previous decisions dated 4th February 2021 and 26th May 2021. At present, 26 projects funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank (WB), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), China, Japan, France & United Kingdom (UK) amounting to US$ 6 billion are under implementation by the Government of Punjab in Agriculture & Irrigation, Energy, Road & Transport, Urban Development, Tourism, Climate Change & Disaster Management, Education, Health & Social Protection.

    The Minister lauded the efforts of provincial government and line departments for expediting implementation of foreign-funded projects. While reviewing the progress of road sector, the Committee specifically emphasized on 6 slow moving projects as under: S# Development Partner Project Name Signing Date Closing Date Amount (US$ Million) 1 ADB Jalalpur Irrigation Project 13.04.2018 30.06.2024 275 2 ADB Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Project 18.12.2017 30.06.2024 200 3 ADB Enhancing Public-Private Partnerships in Punjab 13.04.2018 30.06.2023 120 4 WB Punjab Tourism Growth Project 02.08.2017 30.04.2023 50 5 Japan Project for Installation of Weather Surveillance Radar in Multan City 31.08.2018 31.12.2025 18 6 WB Punjab Agriculture & Rural Transformation Program 02.02.2018 30.06.2023 300 The Minister for Economic Affairs expressed that Jalalpur Irrigation Project will contribute to food security and economic growth through enhanced productivity of agricultural commodities.

    It will also help to alleviate rural poverty and uplift living standard of the people in the region through new employment opportunities and transfer of cash from urban to rural areas. The Chairman, P&D Board, Punjab informed that project got intial delay due to land acquisition. However, project implementation is picking up and project will be completed by first quarter of 2024. Under this project, 200 km new irrigation canals are being constructed in Pind Dadan Khan and Khushab which will directly benefit over 200,000 rural people. The Minister also directed to complete Punjab Agriculture & Rural Transformation Program as per its revised timelines and expedite approval process of next phase. The Minister also directed to expedite the finalization and approval of sub-projects under Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Project.

    This project will improve the quality of life of the residents in the intermediate cities of Sahiwal and Sialkot, making these cities more livable and sustainable which will be achieved by improving urban infrastructure and services delivery. On Enhancing Public-Private Partnerships in Punjab Project, the Government of Punjab informed that significant progress has been made on Multan-Vehari Road under PPP modality. The Minister also directed to remove all the bottlenecks of Punjab Tourism Growth Project and Installation of Weather Surveillance Radar in Multan City for their timely completion. The Minister for Economic Affairs further highlighted that the government is focusing on timely completion of development projects. The Minister directed the line departments to strictly follow the timelines for expeditious implementation of the projects. He emphasized that development projects must be executed in timely and efficient manner so that people can benefit from these projects without any delay.

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