Lack of populist measures don’t go down well with twin cities’ residents

Budget reaction from representatives mostly negative.

ISLAMABAD:

With high expectations from the new government, the federal fiscal budget for year 2013-2014 does not meet expectations of the salaried class that worry more than ever about their survival in the country.

Trading Action Committee Secretary Kashif Chaudhry, speaking on behalf of the representative body for traders in the capital, said the budget  did not meet their expectations. “Irrespective of the fact that people were willing to compromise, the budget does not do justice for the people who have to face the price-hike in the country,” he said.

With Rs537.1 million allocated for education and training projects, President Federal Government College Teachers Association Tahir Mehmood said the fact that there was no increase in  teachers’ salaries was of great concern for them. Speaking to The Express Tribune, he stated that, “Low salaries will not attract people towards teaching and the sector is likely to suffer more than ever.” Distributing laptops is not going to bring the change we need, new education policies need to be developed and the department should be made more attractive for people to want to become teachers on merit, he stated.



“This is the most necessary and at the same time the most neglected sector of the economy. People who do not get other jobs become teachers. Every government that comes in adjusts a large chunk of its voters in the education sector; this needs to change,” he added.

“This budget is for the rich, the poor will only suffer more from this point onwards,” said Chairman Twin Cities Transporters Association Malik Sultan Awan. With limited resources and lack of CNG, this budget does not promise anything substantial for transporters, he added.

While others expressed disappointment, All Pakistan Clerks Association President Shahzad Manzoor Kayani threatened to go on strike from June 21 onwards if their salaries were not increased. “A meeting has been scheduled for Friday in Lahore.” A large number of people work as clerks in offices on very low wages, he added. In 2011, the clerks got a 10% increase in their salaries, which according to Kayani was too little considering the inflation rate.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 13^th, 2013.