ECC Approves Rs. 275 Billion Grant for Water Sector Projects

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has approved a Technical Supplementary Grant of Rs. 275 billion for key water sector projects managed by the Ministry of Water Resources, according to a Finance Division announcement.

The decision was taken at an ECC meeting chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb at the Finance Division in Islamabad on Wednesday. Officials said the allocation is intended to support the development of critical water infrastructure and to push forward projects already under way.

The Finance Division did not name the specific projects covered by the Rs. 275 billion allocation and did not provide a project-wise breakdown of the funding. The approval was one of several financing and development decisions taken during the session, which reviewed 11 agenda items submitted by various ministries and government divisions.

Among the other approvals, the committee cleared supplementary funding for defence projects and a gasification programme aimed at villages located near gas production fields, along with a number of other sectoral measures.

The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kiyani and senior government officials.

The grant is significant for the country's water sector, where ageing infrastructure and limited storage capacity have long been concerns. The ECC's approval clears a major financing step for the Ministry of Water Resources, though details of how the funds will be distributed across individual schemes are yet to be made public.