PM Imran chairs CCI meeting, assures provinces of giving fair share of funds

ISLAMABAD: All provinces would be given their fair share, Prime Minister Imran Khan said Monday as he chaired a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) after a year-long hiatus.

During the CCI's 41st session, which had a 16-point agenda, talks on national-level issues between centre and provinces were held. PM Imran underscored that all of the provinces — Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab — would be given their fair share of money.

The premier also said the government would resolve the complexities pertaining to the issue of funds' allotment.

Rules dictate that the CCI should meet at least once every 90 days but it had not been convened since November 2018. In its last meeting, the members had expressed concern over the rapid population growth and decided to constitute National and Provincial Task Forces to be headed by prime minister and chief ministers.

Earlier, The News had reported that all four chief ministers and provincial chief secretaries would attend the meeting in the federal capital. As per the December 23 meeting's agenda, the CCI's annual reports would be submitted to the session for approval.

The agenda also included a discussion on the amended petroleum policy and LNG import, amendment to the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) Ordinance 2002, and the issues of a no objection certificate (NoC) for installation of a 25MW hydro-power project located on Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal, as well as the distribution of natural resources under Article 158 and 172.

A summary about the privatisation of the Haveli Shah Bahadur and Balloki Power Plants had also been sent to the council for a decision. Further, the Alternate Energy Policy 2019 was also to be presented in the CCI session for approval, while a discussion on the appointment of the Water and Power Development Authority's (WAPDA) chairperson and members was also on the agenda.

President reconstituted CCI

On December 18, President Arif Alvi had reconstituted the CCI on the prime minister's advice. According to the notification, the new council would comprise seven members and would be chaired by the PM. Members of the council would include chief ministers of the four provinces and nominees of the federal government.

Nominees from the federal government included Planning Minister Asad Umar, Inter-Provincial Coordination Minister Fehmida Mirza, and Power Minister Omar Ayub.

An earlier session of the CCI meeting scheduled for December 11 was postponed owing to the excess agenda shared by Sindh.