ECC approves payment of salaries to PSM employees

ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has approved payment of salaries amounting to Rs3.85 billion for Pakistan Steel Mills for the financial year 2020-21.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr.Abdul Hafeez Shaikh accorded the approval during ECC meeting held in Islamabad on Wednesday. The salaries will be disbursed every month.

The meeting decided to seek a detailed report from the Ministry of Industries and Production on the nature of liabilities due to Pakistan Steel Mills on account of retirement dues, the liabilities that will accrue as a result of the retrenchment plan and other expenditures on account of utilities or any other charges due on Pakistan Steel Mills.

The forum was briefed that earlier this month the retired employees of the Pakistan Steel Mills were already paid Rs12.741 billion as retirement dues but the Sindh High Court (SHC) has asked to pay the non-litigant retired employees as well that will further add 11.68 billion rupees to the expenditure of the Federal government.

The meeting considered and approved 2 technical supplementary grants for the Ministry of Interior amounting to Rs111 million for clearing various liabilities of the ICT administration. The ECC meeting also approved TSGs amounting 102 million rupees for Islamabad High Court and 8.5 million rupees for National Heritage and Culture Division for various expenditures.

The Committee also approved the shifting of Federal Expanded Program on Immunization EPI from development to revenue expenditure with an allocation of 9, 903.195 million rupees through TSG for vaccine procurement in the current financial year to avoid interruption in the immunization program.

ECC also allowed notifying the Kharlachi Border Crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan as a rebatable border point for export of goods to Afghanistan.

The meeting allowed the exemption from re-lending of the funds for Pakistan National Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan for Covid-19 to cover the country’s requirements for 12 months through emergency operations