NA approves 68 demands for grants of Rs804.71 bn

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Friday approved 68 demands for grants worth Rs804.710 billion, having no cut motions on them after voice voting in the House. Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz PMLN leader Ahsan Iqbal said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government showed same non-seriousness in presentation of the federal budget which it had been demonstrating in handling other national issues.

Speaking on the floor of the House on charged expenditures, he said the budget was full of contradictions and mistakes. He said the opposition, financial experts and business community pointed out mistakes in the budget proposals. "This is good thing that the government has admitted mistakes and decided to withdraw the same," he said. However, he added, said it should be matter of shame for the PTI government that it procured record Rs13,500 billion loans in three years. He said the PML-N took Rs10,000 billion loans in five years, but it also completed 11,000-MW electricity and 2,000-kilometre-long motorway projects.

“To the contrary, the PTI government crashed down economy and increased poverty rate in the country," he said. Ahsan Iqbal pointed out that the government had also allocated budget for electoral reforms, but everybody witnessed as to how the legislative business was bulldozed.

Objecting over lifestyle of Prime Minister Imran Khan, he said khulfa of state of Madinah used to sleep on floor, but Imran Khan was living in a palace constructed over 300-kanal land.

Meanwhile, Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin presented the demands for grants, which were approved with majority voice. These demands for grants were related to Climate Change Division, Commerce Division, Communication Division, Pakistan Post Office Department, Defence Division, Federal Government Institutions in Cantonments and Garrisons, Defence Services, Economic Affairs Division, Federal Education and Professional Training, Higher Education Commission, National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC), National Heritage and Cultural Division, Housing and Works Division, Human Rights Division, Industries and Production Division, Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Secretariat, Information Technology and Telecommunication Division, Interior Division, Islamabad Capital Territory, Combined Civil Armed Forces, Inter-Provincial Coordination Division, Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Division, Law and Justice Division, Federal Judicial Academy, Federal Shariat Court, Council of Islamic Ideology, National Accountability Bureau, District Judiciary Islamabad Capital Territory, Maritime Affairs Division, Narcotics Control Division, National Assembly, the Senate, Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Division, Parliamentary Affairs Division, Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Division, CPEC Authority, Privatisation Division, Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Division, Science and Technology Division, States and Frontiers Division, Water Resources Division, Divisions of Development Expenditure of Climate Change, Commerce, Communication, Defence, Federal Education and Professional Training, Higher Education Commission, NAVTTC, National Heritage and Culture, Human Rights, Information Technology and Telecommunication Division, Interior, Inter-Provincial Coordination, Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Narcotics Control, Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Science and Technology, Water Resources, Survey of Pakistan, Capital Outlay on Civil Works, Capital Outlay on Industrial Development, Capital Outlay on Maritime Affairs Division.