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ISLAMABAD, Sep 19 (APP):The Central Development Working Party (CDWP), chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal, who also serves as Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, met on Friday to review projects in the health and water sectors.
The CDWP recommended the revised Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Human Capital Investment Project (Health Component) to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) at a total cost of Rs18, 137.420 million, said a release issued on Friday.
The project will be implemented through an independent Project Management Unit under the KP Health Department in line with World Bank procurement guidelines, and financed through foreign assistance.
The Covering 13 districts including Peshawar, Nowshera, Swabi and Haripur, the project seeks to enhance the availability and quality of primary healthcare services for both host communities and refugees.
The forum also approved the position paper of the project titled Strengthening Common Management Unit for AIDS, TB and Malaria and Accelerating Response to Control the three Diseases in Pakistan at a cost of Rs2 billion.
The initiative, to be implemented nationwide, aims to harmonize and strengthen institutional systems to eliminate AIDS, TB, and malaria by 2030 in line with Pakistan’s global commitments under the SDGs.
A strong Integrated Technical Support Unit will provide oversight, surveillance, and technical guidance to provinces, ensuring harmonized national programming and enhanced capacity building.
While reviewing the position paper of the project titled Responsive, Readiness and Resilient STEM Secondary Education in Punjab (ADB loan-based), the Planning Minister stressed that early childhood education must remain at the core of provincial and national education policies.
“The most productive investment on a child is in the early childhood development phase. If we fail at this stage, no amount of spending at later stages of education can compensate for the loss,” he observed. He said it is basic right of every child studying in public sector schools to have quality science and computer labs. Provides iCal governments must ensure provision of labs in the schools so that we can raise generation bwhichbis future ready.
He further emphasized, “gap analysis should be carried out for union councils where there are no girls high school. Each union council must have a girl’s high school.”
Prof. Iqbal underlined that while education remains a top national priority, the quality of learning outcomes in public sector schools does not match the resources being spent. He stressed the need for strict accountability mechanisms and urged the recruitment of the “best of the best talent” to ensure tangible outcomes.
Discussing the concept clearance of the Flood Disaster Prevention Master Plan and Construction of a Storm Water Storage System in Multan for climate change adaptation, the Minister further directed the Punjab P&D Department to prioritize schemes for wastewater and sewerage management.
Expressing concern over increasing pollution in rivers and groundwater, he said urgent action was required to safeguard public health and the environment. “Our rivers and underground water are being polluted at an alarming rate. Provincial governments must prioritize wastewater management systems if we are to protect both human health and economic productivity,” he remarked.
Concluding the meeting, the Minister directed that each PC-1 must clearly articulate concrete outcomes and measurable impact, reiterating that development spending without accountability and results-oriented planning cannot deliver the desired transformation.