Rs seven billion approved for proposed development budget 2017-18

National Assembly Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Reforms has approved Rs 7 billion for the proposed development budget 2017-18 for 33 projects of Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms. The committee met with Abdul Majeed Khan Khanana Khail in the chair at P-Block of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms on Monday.
The committee discussed budgetary proposals of next financial year 2017-18 of the ministry, up-gradation of Pakistan Railways under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), western route of CPEC and maintenance and repair of GT Road. Asif Sheikh, Advisor for Federal Budget Development Planning, said while briefing the committee that the total cost of 33 development projects of the Ministry was Rs 28.66 billion and estimated expenditure up to June 2017 was Rs 8 billion. He said the ministry proposed Rs 7 billion development projects for the next financial year, adding Rs 5.905 billion were budgeted during financial year 2016-17. He said there were 33 development soft projects of the ministry relating to research and training.
According to documents, the Planning Commission proposed Rs 170.5 million for CPEC Support Project against the total cost of Rs 409 million; Rs 2.2 billion for National Endowment Scholarships for Talent (NEST) against Rs 10 billion total budget; Rs 30 million for Establishment of Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms, Islamabad, out of Rs 178.43 million total budget; and Rs 1.65 billion for research/feasibility studies, etc.
The committee was informed that during the sixth meeting of Pakistan-China Joint Co-operation Committee of CPEC, the Chinese government showed satisfaction over the security arrangements of Pakistan about the CPEC projects. During briefing the committee on railway projects, Secretary Planning Yousuf Nasim Khokhar said that ML-1 Railway project under CPEC from Karachi to Peshawar, 1682-km, would make Railways economically viable. He said it was early harvest project which was a connectivity of the provinces.
He said the feasibility of the project had been completed and groundbreaking for the same would be made that year. He said that under that project the rail track from Peshawar to Lahore would be doubled.
He said the government was negotiating with China for $8.2 billion for the cost of the ML-1 project. He said that ML-2 was medium-term project from Attock to Kotali and its feasibility study was under scrutiny. He said that ML-3 was long-term project from Gwadar to Quetta via Besma and it would also link to Jacobabad. He said the feasibility study of the project would be carried out.
The committee recommended that the periodic review of policies should be carried out, and while formulating polices, the debate and meaningful consultation would be conducted before the committee. While discussing health insurance scheme, the committee recommended that the all tehsil & district headquarter hospitals must be included in the Prime Minister Health Insurance Scheme.
The committee discussed the up-gradation, maintenance and repair of GT Road and recommended that it was foremost and utmost to build pedestrian bridges, underpasses and u-turns in order to save the lives of people on the Rawalpindi-Lahore section of the GT Road.