Summary The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has approved Pakistan's historic first 5-year Gemstone Policy (2026–30) and a major restructuring of the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - In a strategic move to tap into non-traditional export markets, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has formally sanctioned Pakistan's first-ever comprehensive five-year Gemstone Policy (2026–2030).
The high-level meeting, held in Islamabad under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb, focused heavily on reforming the gemstone sector to streamline trade, introduce modern cutting practices, and boost global market integration.
Alongside this primary economic framework, the committee fundamentally approved a major restructuring plan for the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC).
Under this new structural arrangement, 30% of PNSC’s corporate shares alongside complete management control will be handed over to the National Logistics Cell (NLC) to drive logistics efficiency.
Demonstrating a strong commitment to human capital development and public infrastructure, the economic body additionally greenlit a series of massive multi-billion rupee Technical Supplementary Grants. Chief among these allocations is a PKR 3.91 billion funding package explicitly dedicated to the Prime Minister’s Youth Skills Development Program to advance technical training across the country.
Furthermore, the committee approved PKR 1.50 billion for the Prime Minister’s National Health Program to sustain accessible healthcare, PKR 480 million for infrastructure upgrades at the Frontier Constabulary (FC) North Hospital, and a vital PKR 1.00 billion injection to help clear outstanding pension liabilities for retired Pakistan Railways employees.
Another PKR 1.00 billion grant was approved to fund the initial establishment of the newly formed National Agri-Trade and Food Safety Authority.
On the humanitarian front, the financial committee approved a substantial increase in the monthly subsistence allowance for the 1989 Jammu and Kashmir refugees, raising the individual monthly stipend from PKR 3,500 to PKR 6,000.
This socio-economic relief measure has been implemented retroactively from February 1, with the ECC allocating a dedicated budget of PKR 580 million to smoothly cover the necessary expenditures through June 30.
