75pc electricity consumers to get relief in budget: minister

LAHORE: Punjab Finance Minister Hashim Jawan Bakht has said that the government will give relief to 75 percent of electricity consumers besides increasing the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) by Rs80 billion and easiness would be created for low income group in the forthcoming budget.

Addressing the seminar on ‘Role of Media in Investment Promotion’ and the oath-taking ceremony of Lahore Economic Journalist Association office-bearers, the minister said that negative propaganda was being spread on the IMF programme by the political parties for their political gains.

Earlier, Sardar Ilyas Tanveer took oath from the newly elected body of Lahore economic journalists. The minister said the Punjab government was focusing on engaging the private sector in the development of the province and prioritising public private partnership projects in the forthcoming budget. These projects would not be the part of the Annual Development Plan (ADP), he added.

The minister said that the public sector performed the duties of social sector development while private sector should take the lead for economic growth being engine of growth. He said that in the past governments gave temporary support to economy through their weak policies while the PTI government was doing efforts to strengthen the economy. The minister said that local and foreign investments were crucial for economic revival. He said the government and security agencies were responsible for making business and investment friendly policies and ensuring the security and safety of the public and investors.

Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT) Chairman Sardar Ilyas Tanveer addressing on the occasion said that media played pivotal role in the promotion of positive investment climate in any country. He said that the media should highlight the efforts made by the government for ease of doing business and investment opportunities provided by the government. He said the media should give positive image of Pakistan to the world.

He said the number of business and investment-friendly initiatives taken by the government and their outcome would be long-lasting. Speaking on the occasion, Punjab Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mian Aslam Iqbal said that every government introduced its agenda and planned to improve the lives of the people living below poverty line and the present government primarily focused on it.