ECC okays import of 200,000 tonnes of fertiliser on G2G basis

ISLAMABAD: While deferring the summary for increasing the prices of 262 drugs in the wake of absence of Minister for Health and unclear recommendations for the second time, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Thursday granted approval for the import of 200,000 tons of urea fertilizer on a G2G basis.

Although, the Ministry of Finance issued a press statement of the ECC decision at 11:21 pm midnight but it remained silent on the integration of data among 145 departments at federal and provincial governments. It is not yet clear whether the data integration was approved by the ECC or not under the existing law as it was supposed to be used for broadening of tax base.

According to an official announcement made here, the first summary considered by the ECC was submitted by the Ministry of Industries & Production regarding the offers received for the import of 200KMT Urea on G2G/tender basis. The ECC decided to allow the import of the required amount of urea fertilizer for Rabi season on the basis of G2G format.

Another summary of the Ministry of National Food Security & Research regarding “Cash Credit Limits for Punjab and Sindh for the Quarter July-September 2023” was also discussed. It was decided to approve the cash credit limit of Rs540 billion for Punjab and Rs214 billion for Sindh.

The summary of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation, and Coordination regarding approval of an increase in MRPs of 262 drugs under the hardship category as recommended by the Drug Pricing Committee (DPC) meetings was considered by the ECC. It was observed that clear recommendations and required analysis were not given by M/o NHSR&C, as such the summary was not approved.