ECC approves $190 million for procurement of COVID-19 vaccines

ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the federal cabinet has approved a technical supplementary grant worth $190 million to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.

The ECC in its meeting held in Islamabad with Minister for Economic Affairs Omar Ayub Khan in the chair also approved a technical supplementary grant of Rs30 million in favor of Ministry of Energy for the execution of development schemes of Sindh Province under PSDP.

Another technical supplementary grant worth Rs300 million was also approved in favour of Interior Division for the establishment of the Pakistan Emergency Helpline. 

The ECC considered the summary presented by the Ministry of Industries and Production regarding late payment surcharge of operations of fertilizer plants at SNGPL network from September 2018 to November 2019.

Ministry of National Food & Security presented a summary to reshuffle the chairmanship of the committee constituted for accepting/scrapping the tenders floated by TCP to import wheat and sugar. The ECC recommended that Adviser to the PM on Finance & Revenue may head the committee for taking operational decisions related to tenders for import of wheat and sugar.

Ministry of Commerce presented a Strategic Trade Policy Framework (STPF) 2020-25 to enhance growth in exports in Pakistan. The STPF 2020-25 aims to enhance export competitiveness of Pakistan through a framework of interventions having an impact across the value chains.

The STPF aims to enhance the ability of Pakistani enterprises capacity to produce, distribute and sell products and services as or more efficiently than is done by the competitors. The ECC recommended the STPF as a guiding framework with a direction that budgetary allocation and other related details will be dealt with separately.

The ECC also considered and recommended the summary recommending that keeping in view the sufficient public current stock position of wheat flour, demand & supply situation, international wheat prices and local releases to flour mills, there is no need for further import of wheat at this point of time.

On the recommendations of the Technical Advisory Committee, ECC also cancelled the floating of fresh tender to import wheat on the occasion.  The ECC also recommended a summary regarding permission for export of wheat flour to Afghanistan under World Food Programme strategy in wake of the recent crisis.