20000314

85pc of income spent on annual expenditures in Punjab

Recorder Report

LAHORE: Punjab Finance Minister Shahid Hafeez Kardar, while expressing concern over high rate of expenditures in the province, has said that the expenditures and payment of loans consume 85 percent of the total income.

An amount of Rs 60 billion was being spent annually under the head of salaries of 9.5 lakh government employees serving in various departments of the province beside the pension of retired employees.

Addressing a seminar on "rights of labour community in 21st century" at the Lahore Press Club here on Monday, he said that the social security department was deducting seven percent of the total income of the labourers but the services they were providing in terms of schools and hospitals was negligible.

He however, said the private sector was providing much better services by deducting only five percent.

He said this was the ripe time to decide what should be our priorities to improve the economic situation of the province as well as the country.

Stressing the need of determining the volume of the government, he said, it should be decided, how to provide services to the labour community and whether it should be carried out through institutions like social security, labour department and EOBI etc.

Criticising the previous government, he said a motorway was constructed in the city and its Rs 2.5 billion payment was yet to be paid.

He said the government was trying to change the tax system, and a commission was working to provide one- window facilities to the industrialists for deduction under the social security and EOBI etc.

President, Pakistan Workers Confederation, Gul Rehman, speaking on this occasion alleged that not a single step had been taken for implementation of the seven point agenda announced by the Chief Executive. He demanded that ban should be lifted from trade union in Wapda, Railways and other institutions.

Director, Human Rights Commission, Pakistan, I. A. Rahman and renowned columnist Munnoo Bhai regretted that the labour community had always been ignored by the successive governments.

They asked the labour and working class to forge unity in their ranks to achieve their rights.