Daily Times

Chairman Institute of Research and Reforms (IRR) Senator A. Rehman Malik has urged the government to present a people-friendly and pro-poor budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

He said renegotiations with the International Monetary Fund were needed to revise the targets and there should be a target for a 1 percent decrease in the budget deficit and an increase in the capacity for the development budget by raising the development spending by 20 percent.

Rehman Malik, in a statement, suggested that the salaries of government servants should be increased considerably, while a special package should be announced for the private/daily wages employees for enhancement of their salaries by the employers.

He said the government should allocate special funds for self-employment business opportunities, enabling those who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19, to get start their own small business.

Rehman Malik said at least Rs150 billion should be allocated for the construction of hospitals/medical centres for the treatment of COVID-19 patients and for the purchase of modern medical equipment, protective kits (PPEs) for doctors, paramedical staff, army, rangers, police and other law enforcement agencies who are on the frontline during COVID-19.

He suggested that salaries of the medical and para-medical staff should also be enhanced, and those of salaries.

Rehman Malik said a special tax relief package should be given for agriculture i.e. wheat crops and livestock, dairy farming, etc. to provide relief to small farmers.

“The government should allocate more funds for the management of rainwater reservoirs in every district as a national water conservation programme” he added.

Rehman Malik also advised that special funds should also be allocated for the construction of new small/mini dams in every district like China.

He suggested that budgetary allocations for online education development programmes and Higher Education Commission (HEC) should be enhanced.

Rehman Malik said that funds for improvement in the aviation sector and upgrade airports all over the country are needed to be allocated and the budget for LEAs must be doubled for their capacity building to ensure the rule of law. He urged that there should be a substantive increase in improving the investigation process by the provision of modern investigation tools and logistics to FIA and the Police and to upgrade the jails, the government should allocate 5 billion for each.

The government must finance easy loans for cheap housing schemes through house building corporations and special enactment may be brought to save the people from defrauding private house building finance companies if allowed in the private sector, he suggested.