ISLAMABAD – Federal Minister for Planning and Development Makhdum KhusroBakhtyar says projects on the Western route are a priority of thegovernment that would open and ensure uplift of less developed areas ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
He said this while chairing a meeting of Cabinet Committee on ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor in Islamabad on Friday.
The conveners of the Joint Working Groups on Energy, Infrastructure,Gwadar, Planning and Industrial Cooperation briefed the committee about theagenda of the forthcoming 8th Joint Cooperation Committee Meeting.
The committee accorded approval to the agenda, composition of Pakistanidelegation for the next JCC and its date of the meeting fixed on 20th ofthis month.
The committee expressed satisfaction over inviting Chief Ministers of allthe provinces to participate in JCC that would enable them to market theirown industrial zones as well as negotiate their projects particularly newinitiatives in the socio-economic development sector.
The cabinet body gave the go-ahead to sign industrial cooperation frameworkwith China and encourage Chinese investors to relocate their industries.The committee instructed to finalize a schedule for the groundbreaking ofRashakai Economic Zone at the earliest by removing all bottlenecks.
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Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtyar said that present government has expended the baseof CPEC by including socio-economic development and agriculture sector. Thecommittee advised to identify pilot projects in these sectors inconsultation with the provinces and take up with the Chinese side.
The committee reviewed the progress on Gwadar projects and instructed tocomplete all codal formalities for the early groundbreaking of Gwadar NewAirport, Vocational Institute, Hospital and 300 MW Power Plant not laterthe 1st quarter of 2019.
The committee decided to seek finances for KKH Thakot-Raikot (RemainingPortion) and upgradation of D.I.Khan-Zhob (Phase-1) project of the WesternRoute.
The Cabinet Committee on CPEC also reviewed progress on energy projects andinstructed for encouraging investment in hydel, Thar Coal and renewableprojects in future.
