New Year's gift: ECNEC approves projects worth Rs218b

Prime Minister's Rs4 billion laptop scheme among the power, education projects approved.

ISLAMABAD: The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC)approved on Tuesday Rs218 billion projects including up gradation of generation capacity of Mangla power station with an estimated cost of Rs52.3 billion.

Headed by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, ECNEC –the highest project approval authority, cleared ten projects in the areas of irrigation, water, power, infrastructure, education and a project for distribution of 100,000 laptops under the Prime Minister’s Scheme for the youth, according to an official statement.

Power projects

It approved the refurbishment and up gradation of generating limits of Mangla Power Station for enhancing its capacity from 1000 megawatts to 1310MW at a cost of Rs52.3 billion. The USAID will provide $150 million grant for the project.

In addition, $102 million loan will be arranged from Japan and another loan, or grant, of $111 million will be arranged from donors.

The ECNEC decided that in case of non-availability of loan the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) will complete the project from its own resources.

The ECNEC also approved the Kachhi Canal Project Phase-I at a revised cost of Rs57.6 billion. An amount of nearly Rs37 billion has already been spent on the project. It has been decided that the Phase-I of this flagship project would be completed by December 2014. An additional amount of Rs15 billion would be provided by the federal government as part of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s commitment to the people of Balochistan, according to Ministry of Finance handout.

The ECNEC also approved a 14MW Hydropower Project Naltar-V at a total revised cost of Rs3.9 billion. The objective of the construction of the project is to meet the power requirements of Gilgit Town.

It gave principle approval to 150MW Sharmai Hydropower Project located in Upper Dir, 132MW Shogo-Sen Hydro-power Project and 144MW Shushgai-Zhendoli Hydel Project in Chitral having total cost of Rs91.6 billion. These projects proposed by the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were approved subject to condition that their financing requirement were fulfilled by the provincial government according to the constitution and that the information is shared with ECNEC once the projects are firmed up and achieve financial close.

The ECNEC also approved the construction of Shadi Kaur Storage Dam and appurtenants work proposed by the government of Balochsitan at a cost of Rs6.5 billion. The ECNEC approved the project subject to its Environment Impact Assessment.

Laptop scheme

The ECNEC also approved the purchase of 100,000 laptops for distribution to students under the Prime Minister’s National Programme for provision of laptops to all Ph.Ds, Masters as well as graduate and diploma holders. The estimated cost of the project is Rs4 billion.

The ECNEC further decided that no laptop will be issued to those students who have availed it in the past, consequently those who have benefitted from the scheme cannot avail it in the future.

In a new turn, the ECNEC has directed Higher Education Commission that bids for the laptops should include a condition that the bidders establish assembly plants, leading to manufacture of laptops in the country. While laptops in 2014 will be purchased off the shelf, in the subsequent two years, manufacturers will have to have installed assembly plants leading to manufacturing.

The ECNEC also approved the Basic Education for All project of open schools in the districts of AJ&K at a cost of Rs1.3 billion.