PM Imran Khan terms CRBC project a real game-changer

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the construction of lift-cum-gravity project of the Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC) would be a real game-changer for the socioeconomic development of a vast area in southern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The prime minister, chairing a meeting on integrated agriculture and development plan for KP, especially the CRBC, said after its completion, the project would irrigate around 300,000 acres of barren land in the province.

“This would not only ensure food security in the region but would also earn huge foreign exchange reserves for the country by exporting agricultural produce to the Middle East,” he said.

The prime minister directed the authorities concerned to adopt effective measures to boost corporate farming in the area. The corporate farming would not only raise the income level of the farmers but would also kick start integrated development by eradicating poverty, eliminating hunger and ensuring good education, healthcare and other civic facilities for the local population, he added.

The premier also called for exploiting the full potential of vast natural resources in the area for the socioeconomic uplift of the people.

Alternative financial models for the construction of the mega development project of the Chashma Right Bank Lift Canal were also discussed during the meeting.

Energy Minister Hammad Azhar, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, KP Finance Minister Taimoor Saleem Jhagra, KP Agriculture Minister Mohib Ullah, NHA chairman Khurram Agha, FBR chairman Dr Muhammad Ashfaq Ahmed and other senior officers were present on the occasion.