Finance Minister Ishaq Dar chairing the meeting of ECNEC on Friday. PHOTO: PID
Taking a step closer to a technology-rich Pakistan, the government on Friday approved the second phase of the Prime Minister’s laptop scheme at a cost of Rs21.4 billion besides clearing a Rs49-billion project for the rehabilitation of road networks damaged during the 2010 floods.
Headed by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) also approved the dualisation of Sohawa-Chakwal road project at a rationalised cost of Rs4.8 billion.
The project falls in the constituency of former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and had been once abandoned due to violation of rules during the Pakistan Peoples Party government.
The meeting approved the Prime Minister’s laptop scheme under which 400,000 computers will be distributed over a period of four years among deserving students acquiring higher education in any public sector university and institute across the country, according to a handout issued by the finance ministry.
The responsibility of executing the project rests with the Higher Education Commission and the total cost comes at Rs21.4 billion. Ecnec directed that by the end of the fourth year there should be 100% local assembly of computers, each year 25%.
HEC would coordinate with the federal and Punjab governments for joint procurement of laptops.
The second phase will be completed in 2018, the year when general elections will be held. The value of a single laptop has been assessed at Rs51,540 and under phase one, as many as 93,975 laptops have been delivered in 86 universities and degree-awarding institutes.
More projects
Overall, Ecnec approved projects in the sectors of education, communications, infrastructure and water supply.
The meeting gave in-principle approval to the Sindh Barrages Improvement Project Phase-1 rehabilitation and modernisation of Guddu Barrage at a total cost of Rs21.2 billion.
The committee issued instructions that possibility of arranging finances from the World Bank should be explored.
The body approved the Water Resources for Faisalabad City-Phase-I project at a total cost of Rs6.1 billion. The project is aimed at ensuring water supply based on meeting daily demand for households and managing the existing system more efficiently for the provision of potable water to the target population.
Ecnec also approved the widening and strengthening of National Highway N-70 (Rakhi Gajj-Bewata) 32.651 km (East West Road Improvement Project N-70) at a revised cost of Rs18.5 billion with the recommendation that no further revision in the scope and cost would be allowed.
The meeting also approved the dualisation and improvement of Sohawa-Chakwal road project at the rationalised cost of Rs4.8 billion. The project envisages construction of a 66.4km new carriageway.
Ecnec approved the rehabilitation and reconstruction of a 652km road network all over the country, damaged in 2010 floods at a cost of Rs49 billion. These include Karachi-Lahore-Peshawar-Torkham (243.96 km), Sukkur-Sibbi-Quetta (17 km), Kuchlak-Zhob-DG Khan (49.68 km), Kotri-Larkana-DG Khan-DI Khan-Peshawar (87.674 km), Gwadar-Hoshab-Awaran-Khuzdar-Ratodero (12.77 km) and other roads.
Ecnec approved the construction of a bridge across Chenab River linking Shorkot and Garh Maharaja at a reduced cost of Rs4.1 billion. On the observation of the Planning Commission that the executing agency, NHA, had implemented additional scope without seeking approval of the competent authority, Ishaq Dar ordered an inquiry.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 11th, 2015.
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