ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has cleared six development projects, costing Rs 160 billion. The CDWP approved two development projects with a cumulative cost of Rs 8.5 billion and recommended four major projects amounting to Rs 151.7 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for final approval.
The CDWP met with Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal in the chair at P-Block Secretariat late Wednesday night. The CDWP reviewed proposals relating to the health, physical planning, housing, transport, and communications sectors.
The minister said that the government remained committed to ensuring that federally supported and provincially implemented projects were designed for long-term sustainability and tangible socio-economic impact.
In the health sector, the CDWP examined the Sindh government’s project titled “Sindh Human Capital Investment: 1,000 Days – Integrated Health and Population Programme,” with a total cost of Rs 55.079 billion, which was recommended to ECNEC. The project focuses on improving key indicators related to reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, nutrition and family planning.
It will be implemented by the Sindh Health Department in collaboration with the Population Welfare Department and is proposed to be financed through foreign funding. The initiative is aimed at strengthening human capital outcomes during the critical early life cycle period, which is widely recognised as essential for sustainable economic growth.
Under the transport and communications sector, the Sindh government presented the Hyderabad Urban Infrastructure Development Package, with an estimated cost of Rs 5 billion. The CDWP approved the project, which will be financed through the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
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The project is expected to improve urban mobility and infrastructure, generating economic activity and enhancing access to services for residents of the Hyderabad region.
The forum also discussed the Karachi Urban Infrastructure Development Package under the physical planning and housing sector and recommended the project to ECNEC. With a total cost of Rs 15 billion, the project will focus on priority infrastructure aimed at supporting the sustainable development of Karachi.
The proposed interventions will cover multiple districts, including Karachi Central, East, South and West, as well as Korangi and Malir, and will be financed through the PSDP. The project is designed to address critical urban infrastructure gaps in Pakistan’s largest metropolitan centre.
Another major project recommended to ECNEC was the Emergency Flood Assistance Project – Sindh Works and Services Department Component, with a total cost of Rs 60.055 billion.
The project will be financed through foreign funding, with 87 per cent provided by the Asian Development Bank and the remaining 13 percent to be borne by the Government of Sindh through its Annual Development Plan. The project covers several flood-affected districts, including Badin, Dadu, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Kashmore, Larkana, Matiari, Mirpurkhas, Naushahro Feroze, Qambar Shahdadkot, Sanghar, Shaheed Benazirabad, Shikarpur, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Thatta and Umerkot.
Its objectives include restoring and rehabilitating road infrastructure to ensure all-weather connectivity, improving access to markets and social services, reducing travel time and costs, and supporting agricultural and broader socio-economic recovery in flood-hit areas.
The CDWP approved the project titled “Improvement and Rehabilitation of BT Road from Liari to Lakhra and Uthal to Lakhra, District Lasbela,” to be executed in Balochistan at a cost of Rs 3.515 billion.
The project, to be financed through the PSDP, aims to connect Lakhra tehsil with the district headquarters at Uthal and the Makran Coastal Highway. The area was severely affected by floods in 2022, which disrupted mobility and economic activity. The rehabilitation of this road is expected to facilitate the transport of agricultural produce from Lakhra, an important agricultural hub, to markets, while improving access to education, healthcare and employment opportunities for local communities.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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