ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordi­nation Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Thursday approved Rs460 million for procurement of pesticides required to control the spread of desert locust (tiddi) in the country and sought a detailed presentation on various aspects of the challenge.

A meeting of the ECC presided over by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh also approved Rs300m for protection of Kartarpur corridor on the request of Pakistan Army.

The meeting was informed that around nine districts in southern part of the country had come under locust attack. The Department of Plant Protection, which has been given the responsibility of dealing with the threat, has effectively dealt with locust swarms but now the government machinery is facing shortfall of pesticides and sprays.

According to a participant of the meeting, Dr Shaikh told the committee that he had received reports from some affected growers that their areas had not yet been covered by pesticide sprays. The adviser sought a detailed presentation on affected areas, action taken and areas that were still not reached out, the source added.

The Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFSR) will brief the ECC in its next meeting on the measures taken so far.

Rs300m approved for Kartarpur Corridor security

In the meantime, the committee also approved a technical supplementary grant of Rs459.5m on a proposal moved by the MNFSR to deal with the locust emergency threat in the country. The ECC was informed that PPD had three helicopters at its disposal and had so far cleared 170,000 hectares. The ministry said that it is being provided updates on daily basis and a WhatsApp group had been created for real time exchange of information about the locust threat, followed by field visits by the staff and then aerial sprays.

Single Window Bill

The ECC also approved the ‘Enactment of Pakistan Single Window Bill, 2019’ to be sent to the Federal Cabinet. The enactment of the Bill is aimed at facilitating businesses in Pakistan. The ECC was apprised that 42 government agencies were involved in granting approvals for different businesses.

Through this single window, all parties involved in trade and transport would be able to lodge standardised information and documents with a single-entry point to fulfill all import, export and transit related regulatory requirements.

The Customs Wing in the Federal Board of Revenue had developed the ‘National Single Window (NSW) Roadmap and Implementation Framework’ in April 2018 with the help of international experts. This initiative is expected to improve Pakistan’s rating at ease of doing business index of the World Bank. The project is targeted for completion in December 2021.

Funding Facility

The ECC also allowed the continuation of funding facility by Gas Holding Private Ltd for Interstate Gas Systems for another two years.

There will be a provision in the agreement that as soon as the first project reached closure, ISGS would have to be financially self-sustaining and it should put forward a business plan as how it would return the loan it had taken so far. The ECC approved the placement of the Annual Report of the National Economic Council (NEC) as required by Article 156 of the Constitution before the Cabinet.

The Ministry of Energy was also given an approval to its proposal for the extension and rehabilitation of gas network in oil and gas producing districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Phase 1 involving supply of gas to villages falling beyond 5km radius of Mardan Khel-III District Hangu and supply of gas to Hafizabad.

Accordingly, Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) was allowed to execute gas development schemes recommended by Departmental Working Party (DWP). This was endorsed by the SNGPL Board of Directors along with appropriate share of the funding between the gas company and the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

On the proposal sent by the Ministry of Interior, the ECC approved allocation of Rs300m through Technical Supplementary Grant (TSG) for raising of one Special Wing of Pakistan Rangers for protection of Kartarpur Corridor on the direction of GHQ. The ECC directed that a three-member committee comprising Adviser to Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms and Austerity Dr Ishrat Hussain, Secretary Finance and a representative of Ministry of Interior shall look into the details of the proposal and further rationalise the costs.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2019