Daily Times

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Tuesday said the budget for fiscal year 2020-21 has not been prepared keeping in view the current challenges including that of coronavirus and locusts.

Participating in discussion on the budget in National Assembly, he said the budget carries no packages for the provinces to deal with the pandemic. He stressed the recommendations of the WHO should be followed to save the lives and the economy. He said the budget for the income support program should have been enhanced by at least 40% in view of the Covid-19 challenge. He said the government should have taxed the affluent class in order to extend relief to the poor.

Bilawal said the Sindh government was ‘clear’ about the challenge of Covid-19 from the very first day while the federal government has been the ‘opposite’. “They are confused. We requested that World Health Organisation’s guidelines be followed so that we can save the lives of our people. We have always said that our priority should’ve been to test on a war scale, and then trace contacts. That’s how countries around the world defeated it,” he said. “We were listening to doctors and nurses, the people who to this day are fighting this on the frontline. And the [federal] government was listening to businessmen, elites and ATM machines,” he added.

“Did [the government] make the effort to tailor the budget according to the virus’ needs? Have we increased the salaries of doctors and nurses? Did they get risk allowance? How much has been spent on corona risk awareness? Have the people been told how to follow SOPs, how to protect themselves and their loved ones? It seems like this budget forgot that we are suffering through a pandemic,” he said, adding that the budget offers nothing for the poor masses, labourers and farmers.

Bilawal said the other challenge facing the country is the locust attack which is the most severe attack in last 25 years. “There is a threat of floods and economic depression in the country as well,” he said. “We were hoping that this budget will tackle those problems and challenges. But, the federal government only made ‘promises’,” he added.

The PPP Chairman regretted that no increase has been given to the salary of the public sector employees and pensioners. He said the current situation warrants a historic raise in salaries and pensions. He recalled that PPP in its five-year tenure had enhanced the salaries by 150% and those of armed forces by 175%.