The National Economic Council (NEC) has unanimously approved a national development budget of 3,669 billion rupees for the next fiscal year.

The Council, which met in Islamabad today with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the chair, allocated 1,000 billion rupees for the Federal Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), 2,218 billion for the Annual Provincial Development Programme and 451 billion for State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs).

The Council also approved a 3.7 percent growth rate for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the current fiscal year and set a target of 4 percent for the next fiscal year.

The forum directed the relevant ministries, provincial governments and public institutions to collaborate with the Ministry of Planning to achieve the objectives outlined in the Annual Plan 2026-27.

The meeting was also briefed on the performance of the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) and the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) during the period from April 2025 to March 2026. The participants were informed that the CDWP approved 116 development projects worth Rs 316 billion, while ECNEC approved 72 projects with a cumulative value of 5,117 billion rupees, reflecting significant progress in advancing national development priorities.

The NEC also approved 11 National Economic Development Missions under the government's Uraan Pakistan initiative. These missions are aimed at accelerating economic transformation, enhancing productivity and strengthening key sectors of the economy.

The Prime Minister thanked the participants for unanimously approving all agenda items of the National Economic Council meeting.

He said continued consensus on national issues would further strengthen the Federation and this spirit of unity and cohesion is the guarantee of Pakistan's bright future.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Planning Minister Dr Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, the Prime Minister's Adviser Rana Sanaullah, Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Sohail Afridi, Chief Minister of Balochistan Nawab Sarfraz Bugti, Punjab Senior Minister Maryam Aurangzeb and other members of the National Economic Council.