Federal Minister Hammad Azhar presents tax-free budget for FY2020-21

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – Federal Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar presented the tax-free budget for the next fiscal year 2020-21. Prime Minister Imran Khan also attended the budget session. Presenting the Rs7.137 trillion budget having a deficit of Rs3.4 trillion on Friday, the minister said that no new tax has been imposed in the budget. “The government is forcefully countering the social and economic challenges. The current deficit has reduced by 73 percent, while the trade deficit has been reduced to 15 percent from 21 percent,” he said. Giving the break-up, he said that the government had allocated Rs100 billion for the coronavirus fund. “An amount of Rs75 billion has been earmarked for the medical sector. Rs40 billion for the railways and Rs200 billion for the daily wagers,” he disclosed. The minister said that Rs100 billion had been allocated under the head of the electricity and gas bills. “An amount of Rs20 billion has been allocated by modernizing the pension system,” he added. He further disclosed that an amount of Rs13 billion has been reserved for the hospitals under the federal government. “A sum of Rs two billion has been allocated for Kamyab Naujwan Programme. Rs64 billion has been reserved for higher education, while Rs180 billion for the subsidy,” he said. Hammad Azhar said that Rs55 billion has been allocated for special areas. “An amount of Rs70 billion has been reserved for dams. Pakistan has played an important role for peace efforts in Afghanistan and Rs200 billion has been reserved for the purpose,” he said. He said that Rs71 billion has been earmarked for the purchase of medical equipment, Rs150 billion for the poor families, Rs100 billion for the emergency fund, Rs55 billion for Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Rs32 billion for Gilgit-Baltistan, Rs56 billion for the districts merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The minister said that a special grant of Rs19 billion has been allocated for Sindh and Rs10 billion for Balochistan. He said that the Ehsas Program has been increased to Rs208 billion from Rs187 billion. “A sum of Rs180 billion has been earmarked for the energy and food,” he added. During the budget speech, the opposition is staging a protest by carrying placards inscribed with slogans of ‘sugar thief’. The opposition members are raising a hue and cry and chanting slogans of ‘lie, lie’.