Shahbaz Sharif slams govt’s apathy towards the poor

LAHORE: PML-N President and National Assembly Opposition Leader Shahbaz Sharif has condemned the total absence of relief and reduction in subsidies for the poor in the 2020-21 budget.

In a statement on Wednesday, he said the budget numbers show that the government has surrendered to the new coronavirus and left the nation at the mercy of the pandemic. From its confused anti-lockdown policy to an ineffective lockdown, the government failed to contain the spread of the coronavirus, he said.

"Not a single rupee has been allocated for the Covid-19 stricken daily-wagers and instead the government slashed the budget for the support of the labourers by Rs 75 billion. Rs 10 billion allocated for subsidy for electricity tariffs for the poor has been eliminated by the government. The subsidy for utility stores has also been eliminated.

He said the government decreased the National Disaster Management Authority's budget from Rs 25 billion to Rs 5 billion ahead of the flood season. The government has billions for subsidy and tax breaks for the rich but has nothing for the poor, he said.