ECC approves US$1 bn for COVID vaccine procurement: sources

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) and approved a grant of US$1 billion for procurement of COVID vaccine to be administered to seven million people, ARY NEWS reported.

According to sources having knowledge of the decisions taken during the ECC meeting, the release of US$180 million was also approved for the first phase of vaccine procurement and it would be handed over to the NDMA for the purpose.

“Covid vaccines including CanSino, Sinopharm, Sinovac, and Pfizer would be purchased from the US$1 billion approved for vaccine procurement,” they said.

Moreover, the ECC according to sources also approved a grant for payment of fees of students in underprivileged areas, funds for Ehsaas ‘Koi Bhooka Na Soye’, a supplementary technical grant of Rs1.016 billion for the Controller General of Pakistan, technical supplementary grant of Rs378 million for the education department and another technical supplementary grant of Rs 330 million for Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP).

They further said that Rs350 million under the Prime Minister Relief Package for families of deceased government employees was also approved during the meeting headed by Shaukat Tarin.

“Funds were also approved for construction and repair of government residences of the Supreme Court judges besides approval of Rs22.1 million grant for human rights ministry and Rs740 million for a marketing campaign of a remittance scheme,” they said adding that grants were also approved for IT ministry’s special communication organization and Intelligence Bureau (IB).