Meagre funds for health, education: Bilawal expresses reservations on NEC decisions

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed his serious reservations on the decisions of the National Economic Council (NEC) to allocate a meager fund for the health and education sector in the upcoming budget and demanded an increase in the allotted funds so the country could fight the coronavirus pandemic head-on.

“Allocating only Rs30 billion for the health sector in the upcoming budget is preposterous. With this allotment, the PTI government is handing the people over to the epidemic,” he said in a statement on Wednesday while expressing his reservations on the decisions of the NEC.

Rejecting the budget, Bilawal declared, “The selected prime minister made a selected budget which will not be accepted in any way.” He said by dedicating only 3.3% of the budget to the health sector, it is clear the incompetent PTI government does not consider health as a top priority. “Rs68 billion from the budget was allotted to please PTI’s assembly members, while only Rs5 billion have been set aside for epidemic prevention,” lamented PPP chairman. He said the unjust and anti-people budget has also allocated only 5.5% of the funding for the education sector. “Imran Khan has made the future of the nation a joke,” proclaimed Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

He said instead, the mafia working under Imran Khan claims to focus on development projects that were inaugurated but never completed. “Mr. Prime Minister! If the country does not develop by building roads, then why did you increase the development budget by 38%?” PPP chairman asked. Bilawal also criticised Imran Khan’s government for allotting more development budgets for provinces where the PTI government reigns. “With this move, Imran Khan proved he does not consider himself the prime minister of the entire country,” stated PPP chairman.