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During her budget speech in the Parliament on Thursday she said that the Government, with its people oriented dispositions and having firm resolve in the welfare of people is ensuring that each penny spent contributes towards our economic uplift and poverty alleviation, says a press release.
“We have attempted to reduce economic stresses while meeting our obligations. Our objective has been to rationalize expenses to the maximum possible extent without compromising the developmental aspects and aim at improved productivity and maximum utilization of our available resources”, she added.
Ms Ispahani said that through a targeted program of cash transfers the Government intends to help the poor and those who have been afflicted by extreme poverty.
“The Government believes that the cash transfers and other interventions aimed at helping the poor to get out of poverty trap is one part of our broad strategy. We need to focus on the real sectors of our economy that would contribute significantly in boosting and reviving our economy and stabilizing it. These are the agricultural and the manufacturing sectors which would afford us an opportunity to raise our productivity level and would enable us to survive in cut-throat competitive markets at international levels.”
While talking about the social sector allocations she said that “through enhanced funding in education, health and people welfare programs we can improve the quality of human resource which is direly needed in our country. We believe in involving the private sector to bring about qualitative change in our country. We are also focusing on reforms aimed at qualitative improvement of our public sector and turning this sector into the real choice of the people.”
Farahnaz Ispahani asserted that Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) would directly benefit 05 million households is no small achievement. No government in past has ever directly reached to such a large number of our population-the poorest of the poor-whether in urban or in rural areas- through any such direct plan. This reflects our commitment with the poor people of Pakistan.
She said that allocation of Rs.50 billion for the relief, settlement and rehabilitation and security of IDPs and provision of 1.2 billion and 1.5 billion rupees, respectively, for low cost housing and Prime Minister’s special initiative for Hunermand Pakistan Program are reflective of our efforts to focus on providing housing, health facilities and skill development programs for the people of this county.
Increasing allocations for health, education and population welfare by 52%, 66% and 76% respectively are our prime focus in the social sector development component of our budget, she added.
The PPP MNA also highlighted and appreciated the contributions made by President Asif Ali Zardari for the country and for the nation.
Ms. Ispahani said that “it is through his able guidance and results of his leadership that today our efforts against militancy have unwavering support from entire nation with unparallel political consensus and we are actively engaged with the international community in this cause.”
She said that the President has always believed in engaging the international community and the west, particularly. “He has effectively pleaded the nation’s case to every country he has visited and to every government he has interacted in his official capacity.”
She said that “our Government has put a full stop to the politics of vilification and political victimization.” “The vilification and demonization campaigns have hounded every PPP leader since Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to the present.”
“Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was demonized for daring to give the people of Pakistan a voice, for bringing real democracy to Pakistan. Now everyone acknowledges that he transformed politics and brought it to the awam.”
“Today, we see a continuation of a similar campaign against the person of President Asif Ali Zardari. Often seen attempts to belittle his accomplishments and his efforts are in fact continuation of the same venom that PPP leadership has to face as a result of their efforts to empower the people of Pakistan.”
However, our leadership has never and would never ever be bowed by such attempts and is determined to sacrifice anything for the sake of the country, for the people of Pakistan and for the objectives that led to creation of our party, Ms Ispahani added.
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