ECC Approvals: Sugar Export Conditions & Funding

The Bureau’s Financial Coordination Advisory group has given contingent endorsement for the product of 0.15 million metric tons (150,000 tons) of excess sugar. The export authorization will be revoked if prices rise, which is a condition of the approval.

Meeting Details and Approvals ECC 

The ECC meeting, chaired by Finance and Revenue Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, approved the allocation of 9 billion rupees to settle the dues of oil marketing companies, including PSO, and 24 billion rupees for the Ministry of Defence. The committee also approved various technical supplementary grants for different ministries and divisions.

Conditions on Sugar Export ECC 

The ECC stipulated that the sugar export is conditional on price stability. If sugar prices increase, the export approval will be rescinded. The ECC instructed that the proceeds from the exports should be used to pay off the mills’ dues owed to farmers.

Technical Supplementary Grants

The ECC approved several technical supplementary grants, including:

1. 5.4 billion rupees for the Ministry of Health
2. 4.92 billion rupees for Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan
3. 6.59 billion rupees for PASCO’s outstanding dues
4. 370 million rupees for Housing and Works arrears
5. 14.25 billion rupees for the Women Inclusive Finance Project
6. 97 million rupees for the Finance Division’s Audit Management Information System
   Additional Approvals

Additional approvals included

1. 126.848 million rupees for the Cabinet Division’s customs duties and taxes
2. 29 million rupees for the Presidential Secretariat’s employee expenses
3. 332 million rupees for the Ministry of Economic Affairs related to NADRA’s Somali identification system
4. 5 billion rupees for the Green Tourism Pakistan Project for the Defence Division
5. 23.945 billion rupees for the Ministry of Defence for the current fiscal year shortfall
6. 10 billion rupees for the Ministry of Interior for pending ration payments for Frontier Corps Headquarters and Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts Headquarters

Ministry of Interior Funding

The ECC also approved funding for the Ministry of Interior, including:

1. 600 million rupees for establishing three additional corps headquarters
2. 5.986 million rupees for additional fund requirements
3. 9.576 million rupees for establishing the National Academy for Prison Administration
4. 87 million rupees for the Frontier Corps Headquarters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
5. 4.637 billion rupees for pending operational and ration dues of the Civil Armed Forces
6. Higher Education Commission and Oil Marketing Companies

The committee approved a proposal from the Ministry of National Education to exempt the Higher Education Commission from the re-lending policy for external loans and credits from autonomous institutions. It also approved 9 billion rupees for the settlement of dues to oil marketing companies, including PSO, in light of price differences.

Power Division Summary

The ECC approved a financial facility of 82 billion rupees by OGDCL for Pakistan Holdings Company as proposed by the Power Division.