Share:The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide a $1.54b loan for energy sector reforms, urban infrastructure, social protection and water resources. The financing agreements include $300 million policy-based loan to support financial, technical and governance reforms to strengthen Pakistan's energy sector, $385 million financing agreement to improve urban infrastructure in five cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, $235 million project loan to dualize 222-KM Shikarpur-Rajanpur Section of Indus Highway (N-55) and $603 million results-based lending program to strengthen and expand Ehsaas Program. Khan stated that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cities Improvement Project (US$ 385 million) will help provincial and city governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province to improve the livability of five cities (Abbottabad, Kohat, Mardan, Mingora, and Peshawar) by providing water supply, sewerage, solidwaste management and green infrastructure. Earlier this month, ADB approved a $200 million loan for the development of an irrigation system in Punjab that will help increase agricultural productivity and enhance food security. ADB said that the scheme would provide reliable irrigation water supply to 704,000 hectares of land in Bhakkar, Jhang, Khushab, Layyah and Muzaffargarh districts, making them more agriculturally productive.

Source: The Nation December 24, 2021 23:10 UTC