Pensioners to get more on savings: Cabinet okays support plan for poor
By Our Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD, Jan 18: The federal cabinet on Saturday decided to offer relief to the poor and pensioners, and directed the Trading Corporation of Pakistan to immediately purchase surplus sugar for export purposes.
The cabinet meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali, also decided to offer two per cent additional profit to the pensioners on all the national savings schemes. Details in this regard would be announced by the Directorate of National saving on Sunday.
Giving details of the cabinet decisions at a news conference here, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad and Prime Minister’s Adviser on Finance Shaukat Aziz said that fresh relief measures were part of different relief packages being currently finalized by the government.
The cabinet approved “Prime Minister’s Falahi Programme” worth Rs5 billion under which 2.5 million families would be provided a financial assistance of Rs2,500 each every year.
Shaukat Aziz said that there would be a monthly instalment to cover roughly 15 million poor individuals. All the beneficiaries would be identified by a four-member committee comprising district coordination officer, member Baitul Maal, district Nazim and district post-master through whom funds would be disbursed, he added.
About additional profit to the pensioners on all the savings schemes, he said: “Now the pensioners will receive over 11 per cent profit on savings scheme.” The new rate of return would not be changed at least for the next 10 years, he said and added that various penalties would also be withdrawn for the benefit of the pensioners.
CANE GROWERS: The cabinet reviewed the problems faced by the sugar industry, specially by sugar-cane growers. To ease the situation both for the industry and the growers, the cabinet directed the Trading Corporation of Pakistan to immediately purchase about 0.5 million surplus sugar from mills for export during the current financial year.
Sugar-cane production is expected to reach 3.5 million tons this year, he said. “The cabinet has directed all the four provinces to give support price that had earlier been agreed with the farmers,” Aziz said. He also said that new relief would be provided from within 2002-03 budget.
RELIEF PACKAGES: Responding to a question, Sheikh Rashid said that the prime minister had directed the authorities concerned to look into the possibility of extending the two per cent additional profit to widows and disabled on all savings schemes.
Sheikh Rashid said that more relief packages would be announced by the government for which the prime minister had already issued instructions to various ministries.
Shaukat Aziz told a reporter that it would be incorrect to presume that the decision to reduce the prices of various utilities was withheld due to the pressure by the visiting IMF mission. However, he did not elaborate.
To a question, he said the prime minister had directed the authorities concerned to provide relief to the drought-hit areas of Balochistan. “The Balochistan government will soon be announcing an emergency relief package for the drought victims,” he said.
REGISTRATION: Sheikh Rashid said the cabinet was given a detailed briefing by the foreign secretary on the efforts of the government to facilitate those Pakistanis who were facing problems due to registration laws in the United States. The foreign secretary informed the meeting that as a result of discussions held with the US authorities Pakistan had received assurances from the concerned levels that the Pakistanis would not be discriminated against and that the procedure would be fair and just.
To a question about delay in implementation of the 7th wage award for journalists, Sheikh Rashid said that he was more concerned about those journalists who had not been paid salaries for the last many months. “Let me handle this issue first and then I would do something to get the wage award implemented,” he said.
