The federal government on Monday approved an Rs51 billion budget for spending on the schemes recommended by the parliamentarians aimed at luring voters in the upcoming general elections.
The government also approved prices for 25 types of medicines.
The Cabinet’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) took this decision and approved a supplementary grant of Rs80 million to refurbish the prime minister’s house. The money will be utilised to renovate the PM’s House auditorium – the residence of PM Shehbaz Sharif.
The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination submitted a summary regarding the fixation of maximum retail prices of 26 new drugs.
After a detailed discussion, the ECC approved the fixation of Maximum Retail Prices (MPRs) for 25 new drugs, according to the finance ministry’s handout.
The ECC approved a technical supplementary grant of Rs47.1 billion for the Ministry of Housing and Works to execute development schemes under the SDGs Achievement Program (SAP) in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) provinces, according to the finance ministry.
The Cabinet Division had surrendered Rs47.2 billion to the Ministry of Housing and Works, which will now spend the amount in four federating units per the federal government’s instructions. Of the Rs47.1 billion, Rs26.9 billion has been allocated from this fiscal year’s Rs90 billion budget.
The remaining Rs20.3 billion is from the last fiscal year’s leftover funds. Another Rs1.1 billion has been allocated for the execution of gas schemes in Punjab. The amount will be utilised through Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL).
The ECC also approved Rs2.7 billion as a supplementary grant for the power division to execute development schemes in Punjab, Sindh, KP, and Balochistan provinces under the Sustainable Development Goals Achievement Program (SAP).
Last week, the government approved the immediate release of more than Rs61.3 billion for the parliamentarians’ schemes aimed at utilising the maximum amount for politically-oriented projects before the end of its term.
