The Economic Coordination Committee of the cabinet has approved import of sugar and wheat to ensure availability of the commodities at affordable prices.

The ECC, which met in Islamabad on Thursday with Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin in the chair, approved import of sugar in three segregated tenders of 50,000 metric tons each so that there is more participation and increased competition when international prices fall down.

It also accorded approval to import 120,000 MT of wheat and purchase of 40,000 MT of Wheat from PASSCO by the World Food Programme.

The ECC gave approval for payment of salaries to the employees of Pakistan Steel Mills on monthly basis till implementation of the complete human resource retrenchment plan. 

The ECC considered and a Technical Supplementary Grant of 50 million rupees for construction of Frontier Constabulary Training Centre at Michni in  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Regarding financial support to GENCOS, the meeting approved 500 million rupees grant out of the total budget allocated to the Power Division. Approval was also granted regarding 40 percent payment of the total amount payable to IPPs of 2002 policy.