The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has recommended three major infrastructure projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with a combined estimated cost of nearly Rs100 billion, to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for final approval.
The decision was made during a meeting chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal.
Highlighting the federal government’s commitment to provincial development, Iqbal referred to the proposed Rs69.89 billion irrigation project, which aims to strengthen agricultural productivity and improve rural livelihoods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The meeting also cleared 11 additional development projects across the country, involving an estimated investment of Rs126.50 billion, including a major Rs85.34 billion water management project in Punjab.
With these decisions, the total number of projects considered at the meeting reached 14, with a combined estimated cost of Rs226.48 billion. Of these, 10 projects worth Rs40.9 billion were approved by the CDWP, while four larger schemes were recommended to ECNEC for formal approval.
Under the applicable financial rules, the CDWP can approve projects costing up to Rs7.5 billion, while projects exceeding this limit are referred to ECNEC.
The proposed development portfolio includes major water and agriculture initiatives in KP and Punjab, supported partly by foreign financing from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Two large-scale water sector projects designed to improve climate resilience and water management were recommended for ECNEC approval.
The first is the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Resilient Irrigated Agriculture Livelihoods Development Project, estimated to cost Rs69.89 billion. The Asian Development Bank is expected to contribute Rs56.133 billion, equivalent to $200 million, while the KP government will provide approximately Rs11.69 billion, including land acquisition arrangements.
The project includes rehabilitation of the Pehur Main Canal, construction of the Mulkhow Irrigation Distribution System and expansion of the Pehur High Level Canal. It aims to improve irrigation infrastructure, strengthen agricultural production and support rural communities.
The second project involves integrated hill torrent management in the Chachar-Mithawan region of Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur districts, with an estimated cost of Rs85.34 billion.
The Asian Development Bank is expected to finance Rs73.06 billion, or approximately $260 million, while the Punjab government will contribute Rs12.28 billion.
The initiative will introduce improved spate irrigation systems, flood protection channels, telemetry infrastructure and centralised Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) monitoring. These measures are intended to improve flood management and strengthen regional water security.
The CDWP also referred the Rs13.32 billion Prime Minister’s Solar Scheme for Newly Merged Districts to ECNEC for approval. The initiative aims to provide off-grid solar energy solutions to households in the newly merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Another major proposal concerns the improvement and widening of the 39-kilometre Chakdara-Timergara section of National Highway N-45, estimated to cost Rs17.01 billion.
The project is expected to receive foreign financing through Exim Bank and will improve a key transport corridor connecting Chakdara, Timergara, Dir and Chitral. The upgraded road is expected to facilitate trade, improve road safety and support tourism in the Kalash, Shandur and Kumrat valleys.
The CDWP approved 10 projects covering transport, education, youth development, broadcasting and energy.
In the transport sector, it approved the construction of an eight-lane overhead bridge at the Imamia Colony Railway Crossing on the N-5 in Shahdara, Lahore, at an estimated cost of Rs7.49 billion.
The project also includes the construction and rehabilitation of connecting roads to ease traffic congestion in Shahdara Town.
The forum approved in principle the preparation of a proposal for establishing Daanish Schools across Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, with an estimated preparation cost of Rs122.4 million.
It also gave in-principle approval to a Daanish School in Kuri, Islamabad, costing Rs7.36 billion.
Another proposed Daanish School in Kan Mehterzai, Qila Saifullah district of Balochistan, valued at Rs4.53 billion, received in-principle approval subject to a technical review by a committee headed by the infrastructure member.
Several initiatives aimed at expanding opportunities for young people were also considered.
The Prime Minister’s Youth Development Centres project, valued at Rs4.15 billion, received in-principle approval. The scheme will incorporate third-party validation and structured monitoring mechanisms to improve transparency and ensure effective use of resources.
The CDWP also approved the Prime Minister’s Talent Hunt Youth Sports League Phase-I, worth Rs3.99 billion. A steering committee operating under the Pakistan Sports Board will coordinate implementation across the provinces and regions.
Additionally, the forum approved the Rs1.97 billion Prime Minister’s National Innovation Award and a Rs2.956 billion initiative covering the establishment of youth sports academies, a high-performance and resource centre, and the Youth Olympics.
These programmes aim to identify emerging talent, encourage innovation and strengthen sports infrastructure nationwide.
The meeting also granted in-principle approval to a Rs3.96 billion project to revamp Pakistan Television Corporation.
The initiative seeks to modernise public broadcasting through digital transformation, commercialisation of international assets and measures to improve long-term financial sustainability.
In the energy sector, the CDWP approved in principle the installation of a pilot Battery Energy Storage System at the 220-kilovolt Jhimpir-I Grid Station, with an estimated cost of Rs4.40 billion.
The proposed system is intended to support electricity grid stability and facilitate the integration of renewable energy into the national power network.
