Budget draws mixed reaction

LAHORE:The provincial budget for the year 2022-23 presented by Hamza Shehbaz-led coalition on Tuesday has drawn mixed reaction from the common people of Punjab.

Nadeem Ali, an NGO official from Lahore talking to The News, said the budget was pro-people. The government has stressed on health and education in the budget for the welfare of the people. He said PMLN believed in deliverance.

According to him, 30 percent raise was given to government employees as well as relief has also been given to pensioners. He said no doubt there is huge inflation but by presenting this budget, the Punjab government had tried to solve the inflation issues by giving relief to people.

Ehtisham Fayyaz, a fruit vendor said, budget is an eyewash which facilitates the powerful and influential who were already living a prosperous life but for middle class and lower middle class families it is a death warrant. “This budget was not pro-people or people friendly, added Ehtisham while talking to this scribe. There was no attraction for common people in the budget, he said. Abeer, an IT student, expressed his disappointment over the way the Punjab budget was delayed. “People are on a brink of committing suicide and these politicians have their own axe to grind. They don’t care for the people and just have their personal interest and gains paramount.

“Two-thirds of the budget is always looted by the influential and some is gone in return of loans and buying equipment while remaining one-third is left for bureaucracy to plunder on, which did not have any end. And in such a poor country, a hand full of families own around 300 billion dollars but the plight of the common man is getting worse with every passing day,” he regretted.

Kishwar Hussain, a house wife, declared the budget a mean of mincing money from the pockets of common people. “Petrol price has already crossed Rs200 per litre, oil and ghee prices are already out of the people’s reach, no vegetable is less than Rs100 per kg; same is the case with pulses. Whereas electricity, gas, water and other utility bills are already gone beyond the people’s reach and government is only giving subsidised relief on atta.

“Budget, mini budgets and sub-budgets are the government’s way of collect tax from the pocket of common men and give a luxurious life to officials holding high positions in bureaucracy and other government seats.”