A meeting of Annual Plan Co-ordination Committee (APCC) on Friday was delayed till May 26 after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed dissatisfaction over the proposed allocation and priorities for different projects finalised by finance and planning, development and reforms ministries, it is learnt. According to sources, the reason behind the delay was mainly due to dissatisfaction of the prime minister who wanted the allocation for some projects on a priority basis and in accordance with his party manifesto.
They also said the meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) would be held on May 29 for the approval of development budget and a macroeconomic framework. The APCC meeting was originally scheduled for May 23 but it was delayed till May 24 and now it has been rescheduled for May 26. The sources said the ongoing shift in Public Sector Development Programmes (PSDP) also created hurdles towards finalising the PSDP list. They said that PML-N government wants to include mega projects with hefty costs into the next fiscal year's development plan while eliminating many new projects which have minor impacts on the economy. Major changes at the last moment had created difficulties for the Planning Commission, they said.
The APCC would recommend the next PSDP 2014-15 and macro-economic framework to NEC for final approval for the budget 2014-15. The APCC would review the growth target of current fiscal year and will propose the GDP target for next fiscal year. The APCC would be jointly chaired by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Planning and Development and Reforms Minister Ahsan Iqbal. It would be attended by the representatives of all provinces Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan for planning and development as well as senior officials of ministries to discuss and finalise the PSDP for the next fiscal year.
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