ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval for the import of 3MMT wheat in addition to deciding to provide additional wheat to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
The meeting of ECC was held under the chair of Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin.
According to details, 500,000 MT of wheat was approved for the KP province from PASSCO’s stock during the crop year 2021-22. All charges, including incidental charges, will be borne by the KP food department. The province will also be given 500,000MT imported wheat to meet the provincial requirement.
Simialrly, the ECC also approved Rs1.370 billion TSGs for the Finance Division to provide wheat subsidy to the government of Gilgit Baltistan (GB).
Furthermore, the meeting approved $17.3 million for PIA-IL for the payment of recurring and one-off liabilities in respect of Roosevelt Hotel New York, USA. The meeting directed that the finance and privatisation commission consult with each other and propose a strategy in a month’s time for deciding the future of the asset.
During the meeting, the policy relating to foreign funding to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) also came under discussion and it was later approved after deliberations.
It may be recalled that in December 2020, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had ordered action against foreign-funded NGOs defaming Pakistan within the next 48-hours.
Under the new policy approval process, registration will be completed within 60 days through online submission, doing away with manual processing and eliminating long delays. The new policy seeks to expand space for credible organisations to play an effective role in the country’s socioeconomic development while deterring NGOs with dubious credentials.
The ECC also approved the summary of the Ministry of Energy’s Petroleum Division for allowing operational losses up to a maximum of 0.5 per cent for gasoline transportation through WOP and MFM pipelines via Inland Freight Equalisation Margin (IFEM).
The same will be adjusted against actual based on physical inventory of pipelines to be undertaken periodically. The actual rate will be determined by OGRA based on actual losses and excess margin would be brought before ECC.
Similarly, an amount of Rs32.097 million as well as Rs1.6 billion for the Ministry of Industries and Production to meet the expenditure and clear SNGPL’s bill for the month of May, 2021.
The forum also approved Rs274.161 million for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to meet the shortage of budget of PTV Multan, AJK, English News Channel and APPC; Rs570 million for the Ministry of Interior for security enhancement at the Pakistan-Afghan border, and Rs56.341 million for the Ministry of Maritime Affairs for its various miscellaneous expenditure.
Besides, the ECC also approved Rs145 million for the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) to meet various employee related expenses, Rs2.467 billion for the Revenue Division, Rs834 million for the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) to meet employee related expenditures, and Rs49 billion for Karachi Coastal Power Project Unit 1 and Unit 2 as requested by PAEC.
