Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib on Tuesday said that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto had resorted to wrong figure to mislead the nation about the present government’s economic achievements.

In a reaction to Bilawal’s remarks, he said that the PPP chairman was completely baffled by witnessing the economic performance of the PTI’s government. He said that PPP had remained into the power in Sindh for three consecutive terms, asking Bilawal to share the initiatives taken by his government to curb inflation across the province including Karachi.

The state minister said that the people of Karachi were left at the mercy of mafia. He said that financial condition of the people of Sindh was getting worse with each passing day, while, in contrast, the family of Bilawal had become ultra-rich. He said that Bilawal and his family were, now, recognized for Omni group, money laundering and fake accounts scams.

Farrukh Habib said that in line with the direction of Prime Minister Imran Khan, an amount of over Rs 28 billion had been disbursed among 2.398 million families under the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme. He said that an amount of Rs 12,000 per month was being given to every family under the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme.

He said that around 35 percent of total disbursed amount distributed among the Sindh people. He said that the per capita income during the ongoing year stood at Rs 246,414, increasing by 14.6 percent compared to the last year. He said that the large-scale manufacturing had increased by nine percent, while cement sale by 40 percent and sale of vehicles by 54 percent.

He said that total gross domestic product (GDP) growth had been increased by $33 billion which was a big achievement on part of the government. He said that the Roshan Digital Bank Account initiative was receiving overwhelming response from the Pakistani expatriates, who had deposited one billion dollars so far.

He said that reforms in the Federal Board of Revenue had helped achieve 28 percent increase in the collection of sales tax, 18 percent surge in customs revenue through different measures including curbs on smuggling and 11.5 percent increase in federal excise duty.

He said that Rashakai, M-1 Nowshera, Allama Iqbal Special Economic Zone and Bostan special zones would help create one million indirect employment opportunities. He said that such economic activities would not only reduce the unemployment rate, but also help achieve industrial and sustainable economic growth.