PM Shehbaz Sharif announces Rs28b relief package for low-income people

ISLAMABAD (92 News) - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced a new relief package worth twenty-eight billion rupees per month to lessen the impact of increase in the prices of petroleum products on the low-income segment of the society.

In a televised address to the nation, he said that under the relief package, fourteen million deserving families will be immediately provided two thousand rupees each, which will benefit 85 million people or one third of the total population. “This financial assistance is in addition to the support being already provided under Benazir Income Support Program. This financial assistance will be included in the next financial budget.”

“I has also directed Utility Stores Corporation to ensure provision of 10-kilogram flour bag at 400 rupees across the country,” he added.

The Prime Minister said that the last government announced subsidy on petroleum prices for its political benefits without keeping in view the precarious situation of the national exchequer, putting the nation into severe economic crisis. “The last government added a huge burden of over 20,000 billion rupees loan, which forms eighty percent of the total loan acquired over the past 71 years. Budget deficit for the current fiscal year is also estimated to be 5600 billion rupees, which is the country’s highest deficit.”

Drawing a comparison with the last PTI government, Shehbaz Sharif said that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had added 10,400 megawatts of electricity, spread a net of roads across the country provided the best public transport and kept inflation at the ever-lowest level. “People have to suffer from prolonged power outages because power plants of 7500 megawatt were not functional and the last government had committed criminal negligence by not importing fuel. Power plants were also not properly maintained.”

Referring to the foreign policy, Shehbaz Sharif said that the last four years also proved destructive for foreign policy with deterioration of relations with friendly countries, who always stood by Pakistan in difficult time. However, he said, the process of restoration of bilateral ties has begun.

He reiterated Pakistan’s stance that for durable peace in South Asia, it is India’s responsibility to undo its unilateral and illegal steps of August 5, 2019 about Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir so that meaningful talks could be initiated for resolution of Kashmir and other outstanding issues.

Shehbaz Sharif invited all the political forces to join hands to build Pakistan on the pattern where difference of opinion is welcomed; rights of women and minorities are protected, and laborer and farmer become prosper.