LAHORE - Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has congratulated Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on presenting a pro-people budget.
“Under the leadership of PM Nawaz Sharif, the federal government has presented the best budget,” Shehbaz Sharif said in statement from London yesterday.
“A historic package has been given for the development of agriculture sector and prosperity of cultivators. Farmers will benefit from substantial decrease in the prices of Urea and DAP fertilizers,” he added.
The CM hoped that agriculture economy will develop and cultivators will become prosperous with the programme of provision of agri loans. He further said that decrease in power tariff on agri tube-wells will also benefit farming community.
Meanwhile, PML-N city president Pervez Malik said that the federal budget is quite balanced and pro-poor wherein vast incentives have been given to the famers for betterment of agriculture sector. Commenting on the Federal budget for year 2016-17, Malik said that the budget has provided a lot of concessions to the industrial sector while the deficit is just 4.5 per cent which could easily be met through financing.
The industrialist turned politician told The Nation yesterday that salaries and pensions have been increased by 10 per cent and it has been supplemented with increase in allowances. “Reduction in the price of fertilizer, pesticides and low slab rate of electricity for farming as well as reduction in duty on poultry feed are such measures in the budget that have to directly benefit the poor in the long run.
“These steps would bring down prices of the agri products which the layman consumes,” he added.
He further said that the revenue collection target was achieved in the current fiscal year, and the government would also rise to the occasion on this count in the next budget. “The government’s direction is right and intentions are good therefore it will achieve the set targets set in the next budget.”
Malik highlighted that energy is a basic problem of the country which, in the course of time, is being adequately addressed. “Good days are ahead,” he added.