Foremost priority of the coalition govt is revival of economy: Marriyum Aurangzeb
ISLAMABAD, April 20 (SABAH): Federal cabinet has approved reduction in prices of sugar and flour for provision of relief to people during Ramazan.
This was stated by Minster for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb while briefing media persons along with Minister for Finance Dr. Miftah Ismail Ahmed at National Press Club Islamabad about the decisions taken in the federal cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Wednesday.
The Information Minister said the Prime Minister’s direction for price reduction of 10 kilogram flour pack from 550 rupees to 400 rupees during Ramazan was accorded approval. She said the subsidized flour will be available everywhere in Punjab. She said reduction in sugar price from 80 rupees per kilogram to 70 rupees per kilogram at utility stores during Ramazan was also approved.
Marriyum Aurangzeb said directions have been given to ensure provision of sugar and flour across the country. She said Punjab Government will supply flour to Gilgit-Baltistan. She said supply of flour to Azad Kashmir will be a gift from Punjab Government.
The Minister said the foremost priority of the coalition government is revival of economy.
Answering question, Marriyum Aurangzeb said a cabinet committee under the chairmanship of Law Minister Senator Chaudhry Azam Nazeer Tarar has been constituted to review Exit Control List law and will submit its report to the cabinet in three days. She further said that Rai Muhammad Tahir has been appointed as Director General Federal Investigation Agency.
Talking about poor performance of the previous PTI government, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said fiscal deficit remained 1,600 billion rupees per annum on average during the last government of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, while the Imran Khan led-government took this figure to around 5,600 billion rupees. He said total debt of the country from 1947 to 2018 was 25,000 billion rupees, whereas PTI Government added 20,000 billion rupees to this debt in just three and half years.
Regarding power outages in the country, the Finance Minister said power plants with a capacity of 7,500 megawatts of electricity are lying closed due to inaptness and incompetence of the previous government.
Commenting on shortage of fertilizers, he said unfortunately agri-inputs and wheat were smuggled to other countries, causing shortage of the commodity in the country. He said the government has decided to constitute a commission to investigate smuggling of fertilizers.
About the IMF programme, Miftah Ismail said he expressed the belief that he will successfully get this programme revived today. He said it is top priority of the government to put least burden on the common man, while reviving the IMF programme. He said the government is determined to bring budget discipline and present a pro-people budget to provide maximum relief to the masses. He said depreciation in rupee value will not be allowed and inflation will be brought under control.
Miftah Ismail recounted the economic “failures” of the PTI government that he said were the core reasons for hampering the growth of the country in the last three years.
The minister said the new government would revive an International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, adding that his meeting with the IMF team would be held very soon. He hinted that the government could curtail spending on the public sector development programme to reinitiate the IMF programme.
He, however, pointed out that Pakistan could never become self-reliant until it kept approaching foreign countries for loans.
Miftah Ismail recalled that the PML-N government had left the country’s GDP growth rate at 6.1 per cent which nosedived to 1.6pc in the first year of the PTI rule.
He also called the relief to the general public in petrol rates a “landmine” for the new government, saying such a relief measure was not made part of the budget proposal.
Miftah Ismail said PM Shehbaz Sharif had also ordered an inquiry into the smuggling of urea to central Asian countries. He added that 27 power plants were rendered inoperational by the PTI government.
“I don’t get whether the PTI government was incompetent or corrupt … But without a doubt their incompetence had no limits,” the minister said. He vowed to present a “better” budget, assuring that the rupee would not slide further. “Our foreign reserves will increase. Pakistani markets will improve. We will employ better management and everything will improve organically,” Miftah Ismail told the media.
The minister said the government would unveil its long-term plans that would steer the country out of crisis. He said that the betterment would be seen in three to four months in Pakistan, adding that the rupee will also be strengthened against dollar and inflation will also come under control and gas and electricity crisis will also be decreased. He said that prime minister has directed Utility Stores Corporation to give subsidy of Rs 205 on per KG ghee, adding that ghee is being sold at Rs 260 per KG.
Replying a question, Miftah Ismail said that the minimum wage of Rs 25,000 will be implemented in the next salary and 10 percent increase in pension will be implemented in next pension received by the pensioners. He said that the salary of government employees has not been increased as it was increased in February and March, adding that the minimum wage of government employees has also been increased to Rs 25,000. Miftah Ismail said PM Shehbaz Sharif had requested the private sector to increase 10 percent salaries of the employees securing upto 1 lakh rupees.
Miftah Ismail said that until and unless we will continue approaching IMF and other countries for securing loans and financial help we could not make progress and could not stand on our own feet.