ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary body on Thursday emphasised the need for establishing strong coordination among federal, provincial and regional departments to bring them on board about development activities taking place under the socioeconomic development projects of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The first in-camera meeting of the Subcommittee of Parliamentary Committee on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) stated that it was vital people of less-developed areas fully owned the projects.
Held at the Parliament House, the committee met to scrutinise the socioeconomic development projects under a $1 billion grant by the Chinese government to launch pilot projects in the selective districts of the country to reduce poverty.
Members of the committee remarked that the socioeconomic development projects under the $1 billion grant were envisaged to alter the socioeconomic landscape of the country.
These projects would also eliminate the prevailing sense of deprivation among marginalised provinces and regions by ensuring shared prosperity and bringing positive changes in the lives of the people.
The committee argued that it was important to propose need -based projects having tangible end results and ensure maximum adherence to timelines that would enable Pakistan to make the most out of the grant.
“It is important to address concerns of local people where projects are being proposed because local ownership of the projects is highly necessary,” said convener of the subcommittee MNA Noor Alam Khan.
The members recommended that while keeping ground realities in view, it was necessary to look into local requirements.
“Pakistan needs to learn from remarkable Chinese experiences and focus on the capacity building and enhancement of skills rather than only installing technological infrastructure. This is how our manpower can be self-sufficient in all areas of socioeconomic development,” another member observed.
Highlighting the importance of Balochistan and to further scrutinise the projects, the committee decided to convene a meeting on Friday, specifically related to projects for Balochistan under CPEC.The committee was briefed by senior officials from the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Ministry of National Food Security and Research, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, Higher Education Commission, Pak-Austria Fachhochschule Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology.
Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2021
https://www.dawn.com/news/1601586/coordination-among-depts-stressed-on-cpec-projects
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