Asad Umar chairs ECC meeting to decide net hydel profit for AJK, other agenda

ISLAMABAD: A meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has been underway with Finance Minister Asad Umar in chair, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The ECC meeting is deliberating on an agenda including an expected approval of additional grant for federal educational and professional training.

The cabinet committee will likely to approve additional grant for the national health services, sources said.

Approval of an annual budget of the Employees’ Oldage Benefits Institution (EOBI), is also part of the agenda.

The committee will also discuss the policy about issuance of arms licences to foreign nationals visiting Pakistan for hunting.

The economic coordination committee, would likely to take up the matter about increasing payment of water use charges to Azad Jammu & Kashmir, on par with net hydel profit (NHP) to the provinces.

The matter has been referred to the committee by the federal cabinet a few days back.

Syed Mehr Ali Shah, Joint Secretary Water Resources, told parliamentary committee on water resources yesterday that the AJK government demanding same treatment for its hydropower generation on the pattern of net hydel profit being paid to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.

The summary for water use charges for AJK on par with KP and Punjab is on the agenda of ECC meeting to be held on Wednesday (today), he said.

The ECC in its previous meeting approved the Ramazan relief package for consumers.

The cabinet committee examined a proposal of the Federal Ministry of Industries and Production for Ramazan relief package to consumers and approved it to extend relief to the general public during the upcoming holy month.

The package to the tune of Rs. two billion, will provide four to 50 rupees relief to the consumers at utility stores during the month of Ramazan.