ISLAMABAD: Shaukat Tarin, Prime Minister's Advisor on Finance and Revenue, will reportedly continue to take all decisions that previously fell under the purview of Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet as head of Technical Advisory Sub-Committee whose recommendations are likely to be rubberstamped by the Omar Ayub Khan-chaired ECC, well informed sources told Business Recorder.
On October 28, 2021 ECC, which met with Minister Economic Affairs, Omar Ayub Khan as Chairman, constituted a Technical Advisory Sub-Committee of the ECC, under convenor-ship of Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, comprising Minister for National Food Security and Research, Minister for Energy, Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, Minister for Privatisation, Minister for Maritime Affairs, Minister for Interior, SAPM on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce & Investment. The committee shall deliberate on the cases referred to it by the ECC and submit its recommendations to the ECC.
Accordingly, following cases were referred by the ECC to the Technical Advisory Sub-Committee for formulating recommendations: (i) Technical supplementary Grant for Establishment of Pakistan Emergency Helpline (PEHEL); (ii) Technical Supplementary Grant amounting to Rs30,000,000/- in favour of Ministry of Energy (Power Division); (iii) development expenditure of Power Division during the current financial year 2021-2; (iv) late payment surcharge for operations of fertilizer plants at SNCPL network between September 2018 to November 2019; (iv) urgent advice relating to award of sixth international wheat tender 2021,-22 opened on October 13, 2021; (v) amendment in the decision of the ECC of September 30, 2021; (vi) allocation of health contribution from revenue generated on account of health hazard tax on tobacco and Sugar Sweetened Beverages (SSBS) to Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination; (vii) extension of gas network/rehabilitation of network in oil and gas producing districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; (xiii) decision of the authority in the matter of Fuel Charges Adjustment (FCA) for the months of November 2019 to June 2020 for Discos along with notification thereof; (ix) Inclusion of beneficiaries under the 2nd phase of Ehsaas Emergency Cash (EEC-2) Programme; and (x) Strategic Trade Policy Framework (STPF) 2020-25.
The sources said that the recommendations of the Technical Advisory Sub-Committee headed by Prime Minister Advisor on Finance and Revenue, will be presented to the ECC for final nod and subsequently to the Federal Cabinet for ratification.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021