KABUL - President Ashraf Ghani, chairing a meeting of the High Economic Council (HEC) on Sunday, said ensuring security of economic projects was part of the five-year security plan.
A statement from the Presidential Palace said the HEC meeting at the president’s office discussed the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology (MCIT)’s plan about establishing the Real Time Data Management (RTDM) system.
The meeting also conferred on the value chain of talc sector and the contract on leasing out cement factories and Karkar-Dodkash coalmines in Baghlan province.
MCIT minister Shahzad Aryoubi first presented his ministry’s scheme with regard to setting up the RTDM system, including collection of revenue and monitoring quality of IT services delivery.
He said keeping in view governments’ budgetary needs and usual procedures of telecommunications and IT across the globe, the government leadership took decision of imposing a 10 percent tax on telecom services.
The minister proposed the HEC to amend the Article 10th and 2nd paragraph of Article 11th of the Telecom Services Tax Law.
The meeting after consideration and comprehensive study approved amendments to the suggested provisions of the telecom services fee law and decided to send the modifications to the Cabinet for endorsement.
Meanwhile, Aryoubi, Yama Yari, Homayoon Rasa, Mohammad Hameed Tahmasi, Khan Jan Alokozay, Munizha Wafiq, Jami Zada, Javid Rasouli, and Wolesi Jirga member Usmani thoroughly talked about legal matters and ‘talc’ export.
President Ghani, expressing gratitude to the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum for submitting analysis and review about the talc mine, said: “A comprehensive analysis has taken place in this regard and now a clear study is needed in order to find how much of talc exists in other provinces and how to extract it.”
He said a legal group should work in this regard so that legal standards and responsibilities were kept in consideration.
President Ghani said: “Security of economic projects in the 1397 solar year is part of our Security Plan and talc is considered our important mines and it should be separated from small mines.”
Ghani said: “We are negotiating with China and India to find market for our exports of expensive goods and mines.”
He said Shaikh Misri Industrial Park’s electricity, roads and security issues should be addressed so that the township turned into an example. (Pajhwok)