Adviser to the PM on Finance and Revenue Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh chaired the meeting of the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) at the Cabinet Division on Monday.
The committee approved over Rs. 101 billion worth of projects for the social sector, water and to mobilize revenue through broadening the tax base with the modernization of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)
The committee approved the Winder Dam Project, which is to be constructed across Winder River in District Lasbela, Balochistan, at the total cost of Rs. 15,230.76 million without FEC with the condition that command area development and land acquisition components will be started in parallel to the main project by the Government of Balochistan.
Govt. of Balochistan will ensure completion of the project within approved scope and cost. In case of further revision, an increase in cost will be borne by the provincial government from its own resources. It is expected that the project will be completed in four years’ time.
Kachhi Canal Project (Remaining works of Phase-I) at District Dera Bugti, Balochistan Province was also approved at a revised cost of Rs. 22,921 million without FEC with the recommendation that there will be no deviation from the scope and the cost was affirmed by the follow-up committee constituted by CDWP.
A component of detailed engineering design/tender documents/PC-Is for phase II and phase III costing Rs. 120 million has been added in the cost summary of this project which will be actively pursued. The Balochistan Agriculture Department will ensure resolution of land settlement issues and development of command area of 102,000 acres to be developed by December 2020.
The responsibility of technical soundness of design will rest with the project consultants NESPAK and no deviation from the design will be made. The project shall be completed in 3 years from the date of approval.
The Pakistan Raises Revenue Project including its IPF Component (For FBR Headquarters Islamabad) was approved at a total cost of Rs. 12,480 million with an FEC component of $80 million. The aim of the proposed program is to eliminate the country’s fiscal constraints through sustainably increasing revenue and reducing tax expenditure by broadening the tax base and modernizing Federal Board of Revenue with advanced information technology-based operations under its Transformation Roadmap.
The proposed project is part of World Bank’s funded IDA soft loan amounting to $400 million. The loan has two components i.e $320 million for Result based/Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLI) based financing, and $80 million for its traditional investment project Financing (IPF).
Up-gradation of connectivity of FBR offices through the installation of ICT equipment at all FBR offices and Customs control posts for data sharing and communication is envisaged under this project. The Chairperson directed that FBR shall give a detailed presentation on the strategy for the utilization of the funds especially the DLI component and its impact on the Human Resource Building at FBR in the next meeting of ECNEC.
EX- Post Facto approval for the Development of Kartarpur Sahib corridor on EPC/turnkey basis phase- I (Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib District Narowal) at a modified cost of Rs. 16546.2 million was also granted by ECNEC.
Lahore Water and wastewater Management Project – Sewerage System from Larech Colony to Gulshan-e Ravi, Lahore (Through Trenchless Technology) was approved by ECNEC at a revised cost of Rs. 14,430.506 million.
The cost includes Rs. 14,165.06 million AIIB loan ($256 million) in addition to already incurred amount of Rs 265.446 million. The project aims at a comprehensive and detailed design of the sanitation system for disposal of sewerage and wastewater from Larech colony to Gulshan-e Ravi, Lahore through trenchless technology.
The project intends to ensure efficiency in safe and quick disposal of sewage/wastewater by laying down a trunk sewerage system and to develop a comprehensive, technically viable plan.
The construction of Eastern Wastewater Treatment Plant (44 MGD) of Faisalabad City ( Phase-I) at the total cost of Rs. 19,071.222 million was approved by ECNEC. The foreign component of the project includes loans and grants from the government of Denmark (DANIDA) amounting to Rs. 17, 238.179 million, 35% of this amount is a grant and the loan component is 65%.
The chairperson directed to set up a committee with Minister EAD and Deputy Chairman Planning Commission to prepare a mechanism for planning disbursement of necessary aid in a fair and transparent manner where all provinces have an equal chance of getting a fair share according to their developmental needs and the priorities of the Government of Pakistan.
