–PM chairs NEC meeting, says budget to focus on health, agriculture sectors
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said the government was focussed on uplifting the health and agriculture sectors in the wake of coronavirus and locust plague in the country.
Chairing a meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) ahead of the budget, the PM said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will also prioritise the sectors that would generate jobs for the youths.
Speaking about the state of the economy, Imran said that the ruling party took effective measures to revive the economy; however, with the emergence of Covid-19, the economy has once again come under increasing strain.
According to a press release by the Prime Minister’s Office, the meeting approved the gross domestic product (GDP) growth target for FY 2020-2021, along with sectoral growth projections for agriculture, industry and services.
The NEC also reviewed the Public Sector Development Programme (PDSP) for the current fiscal year and the proposed development outlay for FY 2020-2021.
The PM also emphasised the need for ensuring close and seamless coordination between the federal and provincial governments during the finalisation and implementation of the development projects. He underscored the need for employing technology to monitor the progress of the ongoing projects.
He was there was a need for ensuring public participation in the development process through the provision of real-time information and getting their feedback on the implementation status of the projects.
He also directed that the NEC meet biannually to review the progress of PDSP projects.
According to the statement, the meeting was informed that this is the first time that PDSP only includes those projects that have already been approved by the relevant forums. “This will ensure fast implementation of the projects and optimum utilisation will be carried out, leading to economic growth,” it said.
Reviewing the progress of PDSP 2019-2020, the NEC noted that several initiatives taken by the federal government have contributed towards expediting the development process by implementing critical schemes in a timely manner.
“These include enhancing the sanctioning powers of the Departmental Development Working Party (DDWP) from Rs60 million to Rs2 billion, the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) from Rs3 billion to Rs10 billion and the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) above Rs10 billion.”
In addition, quarterly authorisation without originating demand, real time information on expenditures and the establishment of public-private partnership authorities are also among the schemes introduced by the government.
According to the press release, 149 projects worth Rs827 billion will be complete or are expected to be completed by June 30.
Further, PDSP projects for FY 2020-2021 were focused on uplifting underdeveloped areas, including Balochistan, merged areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The NEC approved the National Development Outlay 2020-21 and the federal PSDP. It also approved the constitution of a sub-committee to provide strategic guidance, maintain oversight and ensure inter-provincial coordination on sustainable development goals.
