Cabinet approves construction of Rs 510 billion Dasu Dam: Firdous.

ISLAMABAD -- Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan Tuesday said the federal cabinet had given the go-ahead for the construction of Rs 510 billion Dasu Dam after the approval of Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) and work on it would start from next month.

Addressing a press conference here to share details of the decisions taken during the Federal Cabinet meeting, she said the construction of Dasu Dam was scheduled to be started in 2014 with projected completion in 2019. But unfortunately, the project to be funded by the World Bank could not be started due to different hurdles.

She said the Cabinet discussed the laws related to investment and people-friendly policies.

It approved the reorganization of the boards of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), Sui Southern Gas Company Limited and Government Holdings Private Limited.

She said Prime Minister Imran Khan, who chaired the meeting, reiterated his resolve that the Evacuee Property Trust Board (EPTB) land would be used for establishing educational institutions and hospitals. The appointment of EPTB Board was also approved, she added.

Dr Firdous said the Cabinet was given a detailed presentation on the Ehsaas Programme, which was taking care of the needs of 95 percent of the poor families.

It was decided to grant 50,000 scholarships to the students of needy families in next four years to improve educational benchmarks under the Ehsaas Graduate Programme. About 120 universities would benefit from the programme, which could be availed by the families which were earning less than Rs 45,000 per month. Two percent quota would be for the disabled and minorities. The prime minister would inaugurate the programme in the first week of November.

The prime minister wanted to provide relief to the common man, the special assistant said.

The Cabinet also approved agreements with Russia.

It was decided to take measures against the spread of fake news to avoid speculation, exaggeration and chaos. The Information Ministry would issue an e-letter every week to counter the fake news and present it before the Cabinet, besides sharing it for public information.

The Cabinet decided to grant permission for high rise buildings in big cities, including Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Multan in line with the roadmap and identification of areas by the Civil Aviation Authority without compromising the security of air traffic.

Dr...