Hashim Briefs YouTubers, V-logers About Budget's Features

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Jun, 2021 ) :Punjab Finance Minister Hashim Jawan Bakhat said that the government had established Sahulat Bazaar Authority in order to control the food inflation through which Sahulat Bazaars would be established across the province.

The government has allocated Rs 1.5 billion in the budget for this purpose with an objective to provide all essential items at control rates under one roof.

Further, the government had given Rs 86 billion subsidy to keep the flour prices at lower rates in the ongoing fiscal year.

These views were expressed by the provincial minister during a meeting with YouTubers and V-logers here on Sunday.

The minister observed that global rise in food prices also affected Pakistan like the other countries of the world who were importing food items for their consumption.

He said Pakistan was dependent on imported cooking oil and pulses for the last four decades while during this time not a single policy maker thought to end this import-based dependency by increasing the domestic production of oil seeds and pulses.

He mentioned that investment would be made to increase grain production through a comprehensive agricultural package of Rs 100 billion in the next budget. Adoption of modern technology would be encouraged for this while 306 percent increase in agriculture budget would ensure the prosperity of the farmers.

The provincial minister informed the digital media that at present there were 362 Sahulat Bazaars operating in Punjab where quality food items were being provided to the people at affordable prices. He said that the purpose of setting up Sahulat Bazaars was to stop the inflation created by the vendors.

The Punjab government was taking a number of steps to control inflation, one of which was to increase the purchasing power of the people by eliminating unemployment. The government employees who did not receive any additional allowance with basic salary from grade one to 19 were also being provided 25 percent special allowance with a general increase of 10 percent in salaries.

Further, the minimum wage for daily wage earners had been increased from 17,000 to 20,000.

Hashim believed that illness was the biggest challenging time an average commoner which directly affected the household budget.

To reduce this burden on the people of Punjab, the government was providing health cards to 110 million people of the province in the first six months of next year, which they could use to get free treatment from any government or non-government hospital near their homes.

The biggest plan in the education sector next fiscal year would be the up-gradation of 8,500 Primary schools, which would bring back to school children who had dropped out of school after primary education.

Hashim said that health and sanitation facilities and road infrastructure will be provided in 22 districts of Punjab through Rs 100 billion district development programme in the next financial year.

The Human Development Programme would ensure the supply of clean drinking water in 16 tehsils of Punjab.

All of these projects would be far more useful than the concrete infrastructure that previous governments had built in the past, he added.

Responding to questions from the representatives of digital media, the provincial minister said that the budget of the present government was a budget for human development in which every section was covered.

Other than construction and repairing of the roads, Rs 500 million scholarships were earmarked for talented students so that they can study and take up decent employment.

Furthermore, more than Rs 10 billion worth of development projects were gender-focused in the next financial year's budget for mother and child health care as well as protection of women, minors and working women. The focus of the budget would also be providing a safe environment, he added.