PM wants budget’s key features highlighted

Prime Minister Imran Khan has said the country’s economy has not only stabilised but is now also moving towards growth and that the upcoming budget is the budget of progress.

“The upcoming budget is the budget of progress. It aims at further stabilising the economy while also expanding various sectors including agriculture, industries and housing,” the premier said on Monday while chairing a meeting of the ruling party’s spokespersons.

Key federal ministers and PM’s advisers and special assistants also attended the meeting. The premier said it was a matter of satisfaction to him that the country’s economy was growing after going through a phase of stabilisation.

“The present government had been striving to present a new budget which could prove a ray of hope for every segment of the society. The upcoming budget is a ray of hope for all segments of society,” Prime Minister Imran added.

The PM said there is a need to run a comprehensive campaign to create awareness about key points of the Finance Bill 2021-22. He directed the party spokespersons to create awareness about all the aspects of the new budget among the general public.

“Such a campaign is necessary in order to foil the designs of those elements which are creating misunderstandings about the budget,” he said.

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The premier said while the global economies were hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, Pakistan managed to continue its economic journey by adopting a successful strategy.

He said the objective behind various initiatives like the Kamyab Jawan Programme, the Sehat Insaf Card and the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami is to effectively answer the challenges facing the country.

The meeting took stock of the current situation of the country, the development budget and the measures to provide relief to the common people and also discussed the steps taken to accelerate the process of economic growth.

The participants congratulated the premier and his economic team for presenting “a balanced and people-friendly budget” which is likely to help all segments of society.

Also presiding over a briefing about introducing a new system for giving subsidies to the poor, the premier said his government is committed to provide all financial resources to help out the weaker segments in buying basic essential commodities through targeted subsidy.

Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin, the PM’s special assistants – Dr Sania Nishtar, Dr Waqar Masood and Dr Shahbaz Gill, National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) President Arif Usmani and other senior officers attended the briefing.

Special Assistant to the PM on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar briefed the prime minister in detail about the proposed system of targeted subsidy.

She said 92% work on the Ehsaas Survey has been completed and the remaining work would be completed by the end of June. The NP president also briefed the meeting about the proposed system of providing government subsidies to the deserving families.

The meeting was told that the introduction of a targeted subsidy system is aimed at providing financial assistance to millions of families in buying basic essential commodities.

The prime minister while appreciating the efforts in formulating the system of targeted subsidy said the provision of government subsidy to the rich and poor alike is not only a wastage of public resources but is also tantamount to usurping the rights of the poor and deserving.

After the briefing, the premier directed the relevant authorities to finalize the new system of targeted subsidy at the earliest so that it could be formally launched from the next month.