ECC okays Rs5bn for NDMA to battle virus

ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet on Thursday approved Rs5 billion technical supplementary grant for the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to control the spread of coronavirus on an emergency basis.

The meeting, chaired by Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, also approved other technical supplementary grants including Rs275 million in favour of Ministry of Housing and works for capital outlay on civil works.

Rs84.352 million equivalent to $532,152 to be provided to National Database Regulatory Authority (Nadra) for Emergency Recovery Project for Temporary Displaced Persons of erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

The NDMA grant would be utilised to gain logistic support and the provision of different types of personal protection equipment against the virus like respirators/face masks. The ECC formed an inter-ministerial committee, to firm up proposals in a month’s time on incentive package for National Electric Vehicle policy, comprising Minister Planning and Development, Minister Science and technology, SAPM on Austerity and Institutional Reforms, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, SAPM on Commerce (Chairman), SAPM on Petroleum, Secretaries Industry and Climate Change. The ECC acknowledged the role and efforts by the Ministry of Climate Change on preparing incentive proposals for National Electric Vehicle Policy. The ECC also approved Quarterly adjustments of tariff of K-Electric limited for the period from July 2016 to March 2019.

As a relief measure for the people of Karachi amidst coronavirus outbreak and in Ramadan, the ECC directed the tariff be notified after three months. It directed, in the meanwhile, Finance and Power Division to facilitate K-Electric by advance provision of subsidy amounting to Rs26 billion. The ECC decided that the Ministry of Energy should engage with the government of Balochistan and decide on more efficient projects for maximum benefit to the population of the province within the same amount of allocation/subsidy.