ECC approves Rs100 million for locust control in Punjab

ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the federal cabinet on Wednesday approved Rs100 million grant for locust control in Punjab.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh chaired the meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet at the Cabinet Division.

ECC approved the following technical supplementary grants:

• Rs 3.2 billion for PIACL (Pakistan International Airline Corporation Limited) to discharge the obligations on account of markup against guaranteed loans
• Rs 25,206,953 in favor of Pakistan Academy for Rural Development (PARD) Peshawar for the current financial year
• Rs 1300 million to Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission to discharge its various liabilities
• Rs. 235 million to Deputy Commissioner Islamabad for making payment of internal security duty allowance to troops of Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) deployed in Islamabad
• Rs. 500 million to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to meet the expenditure of the media campaign on COVID-19
• Rs 100 million for National Disaster Management Authority (NDMF) for procuring equipment for locust control in Punjab
• Rs 7.947 billion to NDMA on account of procurement of emergency equipment through Pakistan Foreign Mission in China (Ex-post Facto approval on account of Pakistan National Emergency Preparedness and Response for Covid-19, procurement of equipment and transfer of funds)
• Rs 4.5 billion for the capacity building of Civil Armed forces as requested by the Ministry of Interior
• Rs 80 million for Competition Commission of Pakistan for different expenses
• Rs 100 million for the purchase of kerosene oil by Head Quarters Frontier Corps KP (North) to be used in different locations posts (8000 feet and above)
• Rs 8.093 million for the Privatization Division for employee-related expenditure

Two TSGs amounting to Rs 1192.325 million and Rs 358.506 million for Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training for the awarding scholarships to Afghan students were also approved.

The committee approved for book value adjustment of the overdue amount of loans amounting to Rs30.807 billion to Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) over and above its allocated development and non-development budget.

The meeting allowed to convert two relent Chinese loans into government loans keeping in view of the merger of ERRA into NDMA and ERRA being a non-revenue-generating entity.

ECC also approved the handing over of Pakistan Machine Tool Factory to Strategic Plans Division. For the purpose of the operationalisation of PMTF, Rs500 million shall be provided to SPD as a loan.

The federal government shall pay all the liabilities accrued till the transfer of management control of PMTF to SPD, after partial settlement of liabilities of Rs1.78 billion.

ECC also approved the Risk Sharing Facility for SBP Refinance Scheme to support employment and prevent worker layoffs. The scheme supports the provision of credit at concessional rate to businesses that commit not to lay off workers till September 2020.

The loss coverage for SME sector has been increased to 60 percent from the existing 40 percent to promote greater take-up at for smaller businesses. Under the new changes, the borrowers having turnover up to Rs800 million can avail the scheme, while earlier the eligibility was turnover of Rs2 billion.