Govt launches Rs40bn uplift scheme for 20 poor districts.

ISLAMABAD -- The Ministry of Planning has launched a special development initiative worth Rs40 billion for 20 backward and poor districts to implement various uplift initiatives in 60 months in four provinces.

The estimated cost of this project is on a 50:50 cost-sharing basis between the federal and provincial governments. The project is approved by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) headed by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal.

In PSDP 2022-23, an amount of Rs18bn has already been allocated for the project.

Based on Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) scores, the selected 20 districts include 11 districts from Balochistan, five from Sindh, three from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one from Punjab. Many of these districts have been direly affected by the recent flood disaster, especially in Balochistan and Sindh.

Areas selected based on poverty index scores

The 11 districts in Balochistan include Sherani, Kohlu, Jhal Magsi, Barkhan, Killa Abdullah, Zhob, Musakhel, Dera Bugti, Jaffarabad, Ziarat and Killa Saifullah. Five in Sindh - Sujawal, Thatta, Tharparkar, Kashmore and Badin and three in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - Torghar, Shangla and North Waziristan and one district of Rajanpur in Punjab.

The tentative interventions in these districts will be in the areas of connectivity through roads, access to broadband services and internet, solarisation of off-grid areas, the establishment of LPG terminals, development of agri-livestock and mineral value-chain, tunnel framing, dairy farming, fish farming, etc, the establishment of common border markets, investments in skill development and scholarship for students.

Moreover, the federal government and provincial government will identify sub-projects based on in-depth assessment for identifying the local needs of the marginalised population. The respective forums at the federal and provincial levels will approve these projects. The sub-projects will be...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT