Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Friday that economic indicators of the country were positive and growth of GDP in the next fiscal year was estimated at six percent. Briefing reporters in Islamabad, he said that a three-fold increase had been recorded in the annual development budget. “Rs 153 billion has been allocated for social sectors and Rs 22 billion for Azad Kashmir,” he said. He said that the agriculture sector had performed significantly during the current financial year with a 3.5 percent growth and it was expected to perform even better in the coming years. “The agriculture sector improved due to the incentives given by the prime minister to farmers, including credit facilities, subsidy on fertilisers and electricity bills,” he said. He said that the manufacturing sector had also contributed satisfactorily. “After the provision of uninterrupted gas and electricity, the industrial sector has started to grow,” he said. The minister said that over two trillion rupees were being allocated for the next year’s development budget.