ISLAMABAD, June 13: MMA's central leader senator Prof Khurshid Ahmed has described the government's claims about poverty reduction and growth in production as mere lip-service and without substance "after conceding dismal performance of agriculture which catered to 70 per cent population's employment and resource generation needs."

Talking to Dawn, Prof Khurshid said: "By and large it is more of the same budget despite lip-service (being paid) to both growth and welfare. The thrust of budget remains roughly on enhancement of production".

He asserted that "whatever has been done in respect of poverty relief...I can say the measures were too small, yet I do support shift in respect of IMF which could help in poverty reduction programme and growth in socio-economic welfare".

He, however, expressed the view that "it was too small and without total transformation of economy". About macro-economic strategy, the MMA leader said that focus on enhancement of agricultural and industrial production alone could generate employment and help eliminate poverty through more equitable distribution of resources and people's access to universal education to their advantage.

He said refocussing on socio-economic infrastructure was the way to national uplift and salvation. The budget deficit, he maintained, "continues to cast bad impact" on productivity and poverty elimination.

The fact, he contended, was that unemployment had increased to 7 to 8 per cent during the last three years and that again "has not been addressed through tangible action in the budget."

The agriculture growth, instead of going up, had fallen down to 2.2 per cent from previous year's 4.2 per cent which indicated that poverty reduction "cannot take place in the present scenario."

The sales tax, he suggested, should have been abolished on major agricultural inputs or reduced to 5 per cent at best. He also termed the reduction in electricity tariff meagre, adding that nothing "has been done about reduction in heavy taxation on diesel and petrol productions to benefit the common man."