ISLAMABAD:Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Omar Ayub Khan on Wednesday said that ‘Rural Development Projects’ will help to alleviate poverty and uplift living standard of the people through new employment opportunities.
Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, 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, said a press release issued here.
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 and project directors.
During the meeting, the NCC-FFP reviewed the compliance status of committee’s previous decisions dated February 4th 2021 and May 26th 2021.
At present, 26 projects funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank (WB), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), China, Japan, France and United Kingdom (UK) amounting to US$ 6 billion are under implementation by the Government of Punjab in Agriculture and Irrigation, Energy, Road and Transport, Urban Development, Tourism, Climate Change and Disaster Management, Education, Health and Social Protection.
The Minister lauded the efforts of provincial government and line departments for expediting implementation of foreign-funded projects.
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 initial 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 and Rural Transformation Program as per its revised time lines 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 time lines 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.