ECC likely to approve one month’s pay

ISLAMABAD: A meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Wednesday (today) is expected to approve one month’s pay to all healthcare workers performing duties related to the Covid-19 in the federal government.

The ECC meeting to be presided over by the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance, Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, has been convened with eight agenda items including the Finance Ministry’s proposal of revision in the key terms of Prime Minister’s Kamyab Jawan Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme. Another proposal of the Finance Division of US$ 109 million capital increase in Bangladesh operations of the National Bank of Pakistan to meet minimum capital requirement prescribed by the Central Bank of Bangladesh for the Year 2019, and to create some cushion in equity for 2020 would also be taken up by the ECC. The Ministry of Industries and Production would present 2020 projections for urea fertilizer and the Ministry of National Food Security and Research progress report on public sector wheat procurement.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposal for additional funds of Rs3,820 million to meet the shortfall in the budget for the outgoing fiscal year will also be taken up by the ECC.

The meeting would also take up the law division’s proposal to approve technical supplementary grant for payment of annual membership contribution to the international organisations, and allocation of funds for meeting the legitimate expenditures by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Interior Division’s proposal for technical supplementary grant amounting to Rs168,151,919 would also be taken up and other expenditure of Interior Division for payment of troop cost/subsistence allowance to personnel of the CAFs deployed in UN peacekeeping missions .

The ECC would also consider Privatization Commission’s proposal for approval of technical supplementary grant of Rs18.33 million to meet obligatory expenditure during the current fiscal year.

Two other proposals of the Ministry of National Health Services one for regarding technical supplementary grant (TSG) of Rs7,248.050 million in favour of Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) and other for provision of technical supplementary grant of Rs635.400 million to meet the current expenditure during the current fiscal year will also be taken up by the ECC.

The Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination proposal for risk allowance equal to “one pay” to all healthcare workers performing duties-related COVID-19 in the federal government is also expected to be approved by the ECC.—ZAHEER ABBASI