ECC okays defence, IT and social sector funding

An Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) meeting on Tuesday, chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, approved multiple technical supplementary grants for key development and defence-related projects, 24NewsHD TV reported.

The ECC sanctioned a Rs5.08 billion technical supplementary grant for defence projects and decided that defence expenditures will be made a regular part of the federal budget from the next financial year.

The committee also approved Rs2 billion for the SDG programme in Punjab, Rs320 million for transport facilities for special children at the Autism Centre in Islamabad, and Rs800 million for the establishment of the Asaan Khidmat Centre in Islamabad.

To strengthen digital infrastructure, the ECC approved Rs3.7 billion for digital connectivity and IT projects, along with Rs3 billion for the Federal Board of Revenue’s digital enforcement stations.

In addition, the ECC approved Rs700 million for the Film and Drama Finance Fund, directing that funds for the promotion of the film and drama industry be utilised transparently, as instructed by the Ministry of Finance.

The meeting further decided to constitute a committee to formulate a future course of action for the Asia Petroleum Limited pipeline project.