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June 14, 2022: National / International Current Affairs
1. Punjab budget session put off after `day-long drama`
• The Punjab Assembly on June 13, 2022 witnessed a daylong drama as Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi refused to conduct the session and allow the provincial budget to be presented, demanding the inspector general of police (IGP) first tender an apology to him and all cases lodged against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and PML-Q workers and parliamentarians be withdrawn.
• After back-to-back meetings between the treasury and opposition for over six hours, followed by brief proceedings of the house, the speaker took a strong stance over the non-appearance of the chief secretary and the IGP and asserted that the proceedings would continue only when both officers were present in the assembly gallery. After keeping the proceedings paused till 11pm, Mr Elahi adjourned the session till 1pm on Tuesday (today)without allowing the presentation of the province`s budget for financial year 2022-23.
• The provincial cabinet had earlier approved the Hamza Shehbaz-led Punjab government`s first budget of more than Rs3.226 trillion for the next fiscal year that included the highest ever Annual Development Programme of Rs685 billion 22.3 per cent more than the ongoing ADP of Rs560bn
2. Record Rs418bn development plan in Rs1.33tr KP budget
• The PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on June 13, 2022 set aside a record amount of Rs418 billion for development projects in the Rs1.33 trillion budget for the financial year 2022-23 to accelerate economic recovery, generate employment opportunities, uplift human development index and prioritise service delivery with an eye on the next genera lelection.
• The total budget outlay of Rs1.33tr is 19 per cent higher than the current year`s Rs1.18tr.
• KP Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra devoted initial part of his budget presentation, which spanned at least 16 slides, on praising ousted prime minister Imran Khan and his performance in office
3. Govt envisages Rs392bn subsidy and relief package
• The Punjab government has proposed an allocation of Rs392.08 billion for subsidy and relief with a claim to protect commoners from the sharp impact of inflation and announced an increase of 15 per cent in salary and 5pc in pension of the government employees.
• The budget document [earlier approved by the provincial cabinet] shows that Rs200bn have been set aside to provide subsidies on Bour to ensure the commodity would be available to the masses at Rs490 per 10kg bag in the province. Previously the 10kg flour bag was available for Rs650.
• Of Rs392.08bn, the Punjab government has allocated Rs190.58bn for subsidy and relief package. The subsidy and relief package includes Rs100bn for social protection initiative (utility support programme), Rs5bn for subsidy on ghee, Rs2bn for Ramazan Package, Rs17.32bn for agriculture, Rs17.89bn for transport, Rs0.44bn e-credit facility for small farmers, Rs39.93bn for free medicines, Rs2bn for drought and plantation, and Rs6bn environmental/climate change challenges
4. Pakistan neutral in Russia-Ukraine war, says Bilawal
• A day before leaving for Iran on an official visit, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on June 13, 2022 made it clear that former prime minister Imran Khan and his government had not been removed because of the latter`s visit to Russia as the present coalition government was also following the PTI government`s foreign policy of being neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war.
• `It would be a misunderstanding to club the visit to Russia with the noconfidence resolution (moved by the opposition that led to ousting of former prime minister Imran Khan), Mr Bhutto-Zardari said in an informal chat with journalists at the Parliament House.
• `The biggest testimony of this is Pakistan`s neutral position in the war as it was the previous government`s stance and our government, too, has the same stance on the issue. Had the Russian visit of Mr Khan been the reason for PTI government`s ousting, then that policy would have changed now. But, Pakistan`s stand on the Russia-Ukraine conflict is clear: we were neutral yesterday, we are neutral today on the issue,` the foreign minister said
5. IMF asks for more budgetary steps to meet key objectives
• Additional measures will be needed to bring Pakistan`s budget for the year 2022-23 in line with the key objectives of its International Monetary Fund programme, the lender`s resident representative in Islamabad said.
• `Our preliminary estimate is that additional measures will be needed to strengthen the budget and bring it in line with key programme objectives,` Esther Perez Ruiz told Reuters.
• Pakistan unveiled a 9.5 trillion budget for the next fiscal on Friday aimed at tight fiscal consolidation in a bid to convince the IMF to restart much-needed bailout payments
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