Team Details:
| IRFAN ALI Lecturer Balochistan University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Khuzdar (PI) |
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| VERDA SALMAN Associate Professor National University of Science & Technology (NUST), Islamabad (Co PI) |
Theme/Relevant Ministry:
FISCAL MANAGEMENT:
Planning and Development (P&D) Department, Government of Balochistan
Project Brief:
Kacchi Canal Project (KCP) is a PSDP Project, conceived in 2002, to boost agriculture and enhance the socio-economic profile of the area for the underprivileged population of Balochistan. Owing to a multitude of issues of incompetence, poor planning, and change in project goals, Phase I of the project was completed in 2018 with an expected irrigation area of 72000 Acres of land and economic benefit of Rs 3 billion annually. Before the commencement of work on the remaining phases (Phase II&III), it is imperative to assess the performance of Phase I of the project and its contributions in bringing socio-economic betterment to the populace living in the area in the past 5 years. This study will assess the socio-economic effects of KCP on the local population, including improvements in their quality of living.
Public Policy Relevance:
The lessons learned from this research would facilitate better implementation of future phases of the project and would reduce financial wastage with better planning and research data. Our research would contribute to the existing debate and assist in better planning /execution of agricultural initiatives to truly impact the livelihood of the local populace. As part of SIFC initiatives, Pakistan is planning to revolutionize agriculture by introducing various agricultural initiatives. However, these initiatives would not yield the desired results if they failed to impact the local population. Our research findings would allow better implementation of these initiatives and see their impact on the ground. The research findings would assist in other agriculture undertakings in Pakistan and the region.