ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that controlling inflation is the top priority of the entire cabinet.
Federal Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb while addressing a press conference along with Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said that the eight-point agenda was discussed in the cabinet meeting today. The effects of the last four years of financial hardship have been felt on everyone’s life, but controlling inflation is a top priority for the entire cabinet.
He said that the prime minister was making efforts to provide relief to the people from inflation and he wanted immediate relief to be given to the people. The Chief Secretary is monitoring the Ramazan bazaars.
Marriyum Aurangzeb said that in Punjab, the prime minister has decreased the price of 10 kg bag of flour from Rs550 to 400 while sugar will be available at Rs70.
He said that price control committees have been formed at federal and provincial levels and the prime minister would be briefed on commodity prices every other day.
The minister for information said that the Cabinet has approved the Committee on Exit Control List (ECL) and a four-member Cabinet Committee ECL has been formed. The committee will include law ministers Nazir Tarar, Asad Mahmood and Naveed Qamar, and will look into other issues, including changes to ECL policy.
She said that approval has been given to remove the name of Finance Minister Miftah Ismail from ECL and the ECL committee would review the TORs and submit a report to the Cabinet. Imran Khan took revenge by waving the paper and holding it accountable. The stop list and watch list continued to run on the orders of Imran Khan, she added.
Marriyum Aurangzeb said the cabinet was told that government officials did not work for four years due to fear of NAB and when nothing was found.
Waving the letter, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said, “I also want to show you a letter which was hidden from you.” Inflation in food items is 17.3 per cent. The budget deficit was Rs260 billion in 2017-18 and then became Rs5,600 billion in 2012-13.
He said that public debt was Rs24,913 billion in 2017-18 and then the same public debt reached Rs42,745 billion in 2012-13. We built a network of roads in the country.
Miftah Ismail said that in 70 years, all the prime ministers borrowed about Rs25,000 and billion and Imran Khan borrowed more than Rs20,000 billion in four and a half years and all the expenses of Imran Khan were spent on plaques.
She said that the growth rate was 6.1 per cent in 2017 and Asad Umar had a budget deficit of 9.1 per cent in one year that is why Imran Khan had removed Asad Umar from the ministry. Inflation in the country is currently 17.3 per cent and today inflation is higher in rural areas than in urban areas.
