F.P. Report
KARACHI: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has expressed his reservations over the decisions of the National Economic Council, demanding more funds for health and education sectors.
Mr Bilawal in a statement released in Karachi on Wednesday objected to the decisions taken in the NEC meeting a couple of days ago and asked for more funds in the fields of education and health. He said the government had earmarked only Rs30 billion for health in the upcoming budget 2021/22 which was tantamount to let people die of coronavirus pandemic. ‘By setting aside only 3.3% for health, the PTI government has made it clear that public health is not its priority,’ he added.
He lamented that the PTI government had allocated Rs68 billion for parliamentarians whereas for coronavirus pandemic it reserved only Rs5 billion. This shows the government’s apathy towards people, he added.
Bilawal said by setting aside 5.5% funds for education, Prime Minister Imran Khan cut a joke with the people.
He also questioned the government’s decision to give an extra 38% of funds for the public sector development programme near the end of its tenure wondering if the government had realized the importance of improved communication infrastructure for the progress of the country.
He also cautioned the premier that by reducing funds for education and health and by launching public development plans which would never be completed in just two years of his remaining tenure, he could not hide the incompetence of his governance.
He said while distributing development funds, the Imran government kept political expediency in mind, thus increasing a sense of deprivation. He alleged that Imran Khan gave more funds to the provinces where his PTI had a government. He said Imran Khan did not think of himself as prime minister of the whole country.
He said the ‘selected premier’ had made a ‘selected budget’ which his party would never approve.
