The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has approved seven development projects with a combined estimated cost of Rs12.437 billion, while referring three major schemes worth Rs240.537 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for final approval.
The decisions were taken during a CDWP meeting chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal. The approved and referred projects span higher education, space technology, water supply and urban infrastructure.
Among the major schemes referred to ECNEC is the revised Pakistan Space Centre, sponsored by the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), with an estimated cost of Rs37.131 billion.
The project is aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s domestic capabilities in satellite design, assembly, integration, testing and qualification. Ahsan Iqbal described the initiative as an important component of the National Space Programme-2047, saying it could help reduce the country’s reliance on foreign facilities for space-related activities.
The CDWP also referred the revised Lahore Water and Wastewater Management Project, valued at Rs31.592 billion, to ECNEC. The project includes a 54-million-gallon-per-day (MGD) surface water treatment plant at BRBD Canal, along with transmission pipelines, pumping stations, storage facilities, solar power generation and a water distribution network.
Another major project forwarded for final consideration is the revised Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme (K-IV) Phase-I, estimated at Rs171.814 billion. The scheme is designed to supply 260 MGD of water to Karachi and includes an intake structure at Keenjhar Lake, pumping stations, transmission pipelines, reservoirs and filtration plants.
Meanwhile, four of the seven projects approved directly by the CDWP are related to higher education.
These include Rs2.551 billion for strengthening the Women University of AJK, Bagh; Rs1.044 billion for the development of academic facilities at Emerson University, Multan; Rs4.559 billion for the Hyderabad Institute for Technology and Management Sciences; and Rs4.283 billion for the revised KBCMA CVAS project.
The latest decisions form part of the government’s broader development agenda under the URAAN Pakistan programme, which focuses on key sectors including higher education, information technology, physical planning and housing.
The approval and referral of the projects are expected to support investment in critical public infrastructure while advancing the government’s development priorities in education, urban services, water security and emerging technologies.
