Women denounce K-P budget

'Loans should be given to people affected by floods and the ongoing war against terror': Bilour.

PESHAWAR:

Women in Peshawar have denounced the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) budget presented by the government on Saturday.

Fauzia, a public school teacher, said the salaries of government employees were raised by only 15%, whereas the prices of edible items were increasing with each passing day. “This is not fair, is it a joke?” she remarked.

Sarwat, a private school teacher, told The Express Tribune that even though the government has promised an increase of funds in the education sector, they are not being utilised effectively.

Shamim, a retired teacher, said the government had announced a 20 per cent increase in pensions, which is not enough. “The government should cut its expenditure and further increase the salaries and pensions by 15 to 20 per cent to make up for increasing inflation in the country,” she added.

Dr Sultana Barlas, a gynaecologist, said that the prices of daily-use items are sky-rocketing, and the rise in salaries announced by the government is not sufficient to compensate for them.

Irum, a housewife, said, “My husband is a salesman at a private company and earns Rs5,500 per month. We cannot make both ends meet with the current inflation.”

However, K-P Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry Executive Member Fitrat Ilyas Bilour termed the budget “people-friendly” and appreciated the decision to allocate Rs1 billion to women and special people. She said the Bacha Khan Khpal Rozgar scheme and Pakhtunkhwa Hunarmand Rozgar scheme would allow these people to start their businesses.

The Rs300 million allocated to women under these schemes will help in their empowerment, she added. She said loans should be given to people affected by floods and the ongoing war against terrorism. These loans, she added, should be given on merit and the procedure of obtaining them should be made easier to help the poor people.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 17th, 2011.