ISLAMABAD: The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has denied reports it had suspended public welfare initiatives taken by ousted premier Imran Khan’s government for the poor in the South Asian country.
Khan, who was ousted on Sunday in a no-trust vote in parliament, had opened shelters for homeless people across the country and launched the “Ehsaas” poverty alleviation program, aiming to reduce socio-economic inequalities by investing in people.
There has lately been a buzz on social media that the Sharif government was rolling back these programs due to tough economic conditions.
But Marriyum Aurangzeb, a close aide to PM Shairf and a former information minister, rejected these reports as “lies.”
“In his first address to the National Assembly after being elected prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif had made it clear that public service projects would continue,” Aurangzeb said in a statement.
“No program has been stopped, every project for the welfare of the people will be further improved,” she said.
Ex-PM Khan’s government launched the Ehsaas program in March 2019. It covers projects ranging from building homes for the homeless to ensuring financial independence for women and family planning initiatives.
Khan’s government also opened several shelter homes for the homeless and rolled out mobile food trucks under the hunger-free initiative to provide food to the poor and needy twice a day in various parts of Pakistan’s capital.
Government denies shutting down ex-PM Khan’s social safety, poverty alleviation programs
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Government denies shutting down ex-PM Khan’s social safety, poverty alleviation programs
- Government spokesperson says no program has been stopped, every project will be further improved
- Khan opened shelters for homeless people across Pakistan, launched poverty alleviation programs
Pakistan weekly inflation rises 5.19% year on year as Ramadan begins
- Out of 51 items, prices of 17 items increased, 12 items decreased and 22 remained stable
- The Sensitive Price Index for the week ending on Feb. 19 increased by 1.16 percent, data shows
KARACHI: Short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), rose 5.19 percent year-on-year in the week ending Feb 19, the statistics bureau said on Friday, reflecting higher prices of perishable food items at the start of Ramadan.
The SPI, which comprises 51 essential items collected from 50 markets in 17 cities, is computed on a weekly basis to assess the price movement of essential commodities at a shorter interval of time to review the price situation in the country.
The SPI for the week ending on Feb. 19 increased by 1.16 percent, the year-on-year trend depicted an increase of 5.19 percent, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data.
The development came as the holy fasting month of Ramadan began in the South Asian country on Feb. 19, which often sees an increase of prices of fruit, vegetables and other necessary items.
“During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 17 (33.33%) items increased, 12 (23.53%) items decreased and 22 (43.14%) items remained stable,” the PBS said.
Major increase was observed in the prices of Bananas (16.05%), Electricity Charges for Q1 (15.41%), Garlic (5.86%), Chicken (5.49%), Onions (3.83%), Tomatoes (3.82%), Diesel (2.69%), Petrol (1.93%), Beef (1.03%), LPG (0.75%), Mutton (0.69%) and Long Cloth (0.28%), according to the PBS.
The items whose prices decreased included Eggs (11.78%), Potatoes (2.24%), Wheat Flour (2.02%), Pulse Masoor (1.47%), Sugar (0.96%), Vegetable Ghee 2.5Kg (0.72%), Pulse Gram (0.58%), Cooking Oil 5 Litre (0.19%), Gur (0.16%), Vegetable Ghee 1Kg (0.11%), Rice (0.08%) and Mustard Oil (0.07%).
