PM admires ECNEC’s role
Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz lauding the performance of ECNEC during the last eight years said that it greatly helped in creating a lot of economic activity thus generating millions of jobs for the people.
Presiding over the last ECNEC meting here Monday, the Prime Ministersaid the quality of debate and discussion in all the meetings was excellent, productive and meaningful which indicated precise planning and hard work put in by all members of the ECNEC.
He particularly appreciated the services of the Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Dr. Akram Shaikh and his team for their input and coordination with all the federal and provincial government departments. This cooperation and coordination, he added, helped in speedy implementation of a large number of development projects. The Prime Minister said that in the last eight years the ECNEC held 27 meetings and approved 649 projects worth Rs. 2.4 trillion, which is a recordin the history of Pakistan and an achievement in itself.
The projects approved by ECNEC, he mentioned, covered all the sectors of national activity including 403 projects in infrastructure and 207 in social sectors. The ECNEC approved 16 projects in its meeting held today worth Rs. 97.9 billion. The projects approved covered infrastructure, education, health, energy, environment and other sectors.
The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved 649 development projects worth Rs.2.441 trillion during the last eight years creating half a million jobs for the people in the country. This was informed to the 27th ECNEC meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz here on Monday.
Later briefing newsmen at a press conference here, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission and Minister of State Eng. Dr. Muhammad Akram Sheikh said that the 27th meeting of ECNEC also approved 16 projects worth Rs.97.9 billion. Dr. Sheikh said that of the 649 projects approved and implemented included 404 projects in infrastructure, and 207 were in social sectors.
He said that ECNEC has met for the 3rd time during the current financial year within two months. He said that earlier two meetings of the current financial year held on September 19, October 22, 68 projects costing Rs. 270.6 billion were approved.
“Thus in the three meetings ,a total 84 projects costing Rs.368.6 billion including foreign exchange component of Rs.121.1 billion have been approved. The Deputy Chairman Planning Commission said that out of total 16 projects approved by ECNEC today (Monday) , 11 new projects with a total cost of Rs.80.2 billion including Foreign Exchange Component (FEC) of Rs.47.4 billion.