The government on Tuesday finalised a mammoth Rs 359.4 billion for 19 development projects under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for next financial year’s Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
This was decided at the Annual Plan Coordination Committee (APCC), chaired by the Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal. The APCC helped finalise the development outlay for the next financial year.
According to the details, overall the development spending is estimated to be over Rs 1,400 billion during the next financial year, including a Rs 838 billion provincial component. The total cost of projects under CPEC is estimated to be Rs 1.122 trillion, while during the next financial year the allocation will be Rs 359.4 billion, out of which Rs 234.4 billion have been allocated for road and infrastructure projects while Rs 125 billion have been allocated for LNG based power projects. The government has allocated Rs 200 billion for highways, Rs 40 billion for railways while higher education gets an allocation of Rs 21 billion.
The allocation approved under CPEC projects is Rs 7 billion for New Gwadar International Airport, Rs 1 billion for land acquisition of Karachi – Lahore Motorway, Rs 76 billion for 387 km long Multan – Sukkur Motorway, Rs 10.6 billion for Lahore – Abdul Hakeem Road, Rs 12.4 billion for Sukkur – Hyderabad Road, Rs 74.5 billion for Raikot – Havelian – Islamabad Road, Rs 28.5 billion for KKH Thakot- Havelian Road, Rs 6 billion for Thakot to Havelian Road, Rs 4 billion for Construction of Break Waters (CPEC), Rs 4.7 billion for Construction of Eastbay Expressway, Rs 900 million for Dredging of Berthing Areas and Channel for Additional Terminal, Rs 1.2 billion for Infrastructure Development for EPZA and GIEDA, Gwadar, Rs 3 billion Necessary Facilities of Fresh Water Treatment and Supply Gwadar, Rs 984 million for Pak-China Technical and Vocational Institute at Gwadar, Rs 2 billion for Upgradation of Existing 50 Bed Hospital to 300 beds Gwadar, Rs 290 million for Comprehensive Feasibility Study for Upgradation of Mainline, Rs 1.2 billion for Installation of 300 MW Coal Fired Power Plant at Gwadar, Rs 62.5 billion for LNG Based Power Plant at Balloki, Rs 62.5 billion for LNG Based Power Plant at Haveli Bahadurshah.
The government has projected a GDP growth rate of 5.5 per cent for 2015-16 backed by a projected growth of 3.9 per cent in agriculture, 6.4 per cent industry, with six per cent in large scale manufacturing sector, 8.3 per cent in small and household, 8.5 per cent in construction industry and six per cent in electricity generation and gas distribution, and 5.7 per cent in the services sector.
Inflation is projected to rise to six per cent in 2015-16 compared to a provisional estimate of 3.6 per cent in the current year.