The Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, chaired a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet at the Cabinet Division today.
The Minister for Industries and Production, Hammad Azhar; the Special Advisor to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Revenue, Dr. Waqar Masood; the SAPM on Petroleum, Nadeem Baber; and the Advisor to the PM for Institutional Reforms and Austerity, Dr. Ishrat Hussain, attended the meeting. The Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, Dr. Reza Baqir, attended it via video link.
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In light of the summary that was presented by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (IT & Telecom) regarding the manufacturing of SIMs/Smart-cards in Pakistan, and after deliberations, the Chairperson gave a directive for the constitution of a committee to examine the proposal and present a progress report within a fortnight.
This new committee will be chaired by the Minister of Industries and Production, Hammad Azhar, and will include representatives from the Ministry of IT & Telecom, the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR), and the Board of Investment (BOI).
As per the request of the Ministry of IT & Telecom, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) approved the budgetary allocation in favor of the NITB for the provision of ICT services at the Prime Minister’s Office for the Prime Minister’s Kamyab Jawan Programme for FY/2020-21 to the tune of Rs. 53 million,
Likewise, the ECC recommended forming another committee comprising representatives of the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFS & R) to consult with stakeholders and devise a suitable timeline for the export of mangoes and kinnows.
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The ECC also concurred with the proposal by the Petroleum Division regarding the allocation of gas from Bashar X-IST to the third party up to 1.0 MMCFD.
Lastly, the ECC was presented the PIACL, Aviation Division’s summary of the Government of Pakistan’s cash support for the Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS). After due examination, the ECC decided to approve the desired voluntary separation from the service scheme for PIA.
The ECC also approved four separate Technical Supplementary Grants for the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Interior for various projects during the current period FY 2020-21.
