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ISLAMABAD: The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Friday approved two projects – the eradication of polio ($ 986 million) and the Swabi-Mardan road of 9.5 billion rupees – but deferred the Approval of the Nai Gaj dam project, worth 46.5 billion rupees.
The meeting was chaired by Finance Minister Asad Umar, who asked the Sindh government to provide technical details on the development of the badociated catchment areas, so as to make an informed decision regarding the construction of a dam according to the guidelines of the Supreme Court.
The meeting approved the revised emergency plan for the eradication of polio at a cost of US $ 986.29 million through supplementary immunization activities (SIA) throughout the country and environmental surveillance to completely stop the transmission of the polio virus.
Approval of the 46.5 billion rupee Nai Gaj dam project postponed
Poliomyelitis was declared a national public health emergency in 2011 and its National Polio Eradication Action Plan (NEAP) was implemented annually under the guidance and supervision of the Working Group. National Polio Eradication Initiative.
The working group, led by the prime minister, was composed of the governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the chief ministers of the provinces and the prime minister of Azad Jammu & Kashmir.
The project was revised for the second time for additional three-year (2019-2021) immunization activities with an estimated cost of $ 986.3 million from July 2019 to December 2021, and was completed. for a total period of nine and a half years.
The previous project covered a period of six and a half years, from July 2012 to December 2018, at a cost of $ 638.6 million, including the first phase of $ 327 million for 2012-2015. The project provides for a $ 427 million soft loan from the Islamic Development Bank, an $ 80 million loan from the World Bank, a $ 60 million grant from the World Bank's International Cooperation Assistance. Japan and expected subsidies of $ 419 million from Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar. . Malinda and the Bill Gates Foundation would repay the interest on the IDB loan. All expenses are covered by the World Health Organization and the United Nations International Fund for Children's Relief (Unicef).
The project aims to ensure vaccine procurement and program operation so that all immunization processes reach all target children, detect and respond appropriately to any case of wild poliovirus or evidence of low virus transmission.
The project would also provide a risk and response badessment based on the best available data, and then provide management oversight and accountability for all involved in the implementation of the program. The meeting was informed that the interruption of virus transmission in the main reservoirs of Karachi, Quetta and Khyber-Peshawar was the key to Pakistan's success in eradicating polio and that activities had therefore been planned in result.
Ecnec also approved a project for the feasibility study and the dualization of the Mardan-Swabi road over 42 km, for a total cost of Rs. 9 500 billion. The project envisages the twinning and upgrading of the existing 42-km Mardan-Swabi Road into a two-lane road, each roadway having a width of 7.3 meters. The scope of work includes the construction of 14 new bridges, the improvement of 8 existing bridges and one underpbad, as well as 75 new culverts in addition to other structures.
Posted in Dawn, January 26, 2019
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