Our Perpetual Habit of Begging as a nation.

You are driving a car and you stopped at the signal you will find yourself rounded by beggars, small vendors selling pens, car cleaning clothes and people ready to clean your car front glasses. You cannot leave unless you pay something or you should be strong enough to perpetually say no so that they will not disturb you next day while you are there. This is story of every Signal in every major city in Pakistan. All these people whom you face there are professional beggars.

If you go outside to any popular area restaurant or shop you will see many professional beggars asking you for money.

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The habit has been recognized internationally as there were also reports on the local as well international media that 90% of beggars arrested abroad were of Pakistani origin.

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But the story of begging does not end here

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Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) – the National Cash Transfer Programme (NCTP) – was launched in July 2008,

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In the 2008–2009 around 3 million Beneficiaries

By 2016 there 5.4 Million Beneficiaries and amount of Rs. 90 billion ($900 million) distributed

By 2024 there are 9 Million Beneficiaries. 81 Billion Rupees Quarterly payment means more than 300 Billion Rupees will be distributed

It means by each year the numbers of the people and payments to them is increasing. The objective may be the support to the poor but motive rather seems a long lasting political support particularly in Sindh province.

Imagine the PPP Leader Benazir Bhutto introduced the Lady Health workers program in 1994 and has been very much productive in rural health and also support to woman and BISP has no comparison with it. Both the projects are of PPP but LHW was by Benazir Bhutto and BISP was from Mr. Zardari so difference is visible in both of their approach. Benazir was of the objective of supporting the woman but with the condition that they should be beneficial to the society same time where Zardari program was to make ladies perpetually relying on the small amount and just like feeding a nicotine for the fulfillment of their political objectives.

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The above all was about the poor being a beggar and getting the government benefit but now comes to elite which is also taking the lions share from the government exchequer or at the poor man tax.

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According to news on Aljazeera and report UNDP 2021 Economic privileges accorded to Pakistan’s elite groups, including the corporate sector, feudal landlords, the political class and the country’s powerful military, add up to an estimated $17.4bn, or roughly 6 percent of the country’s economy and was shared as per following.

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The Biggest beneficiary was with the estimated 4.7 US$ was corporate.

The second beneficiary was country 1% elite who has 9% of countries overall income.

The third beneficiary was feudal land-owning class, which constitutes 1.1 percent of the population but owns 22 percent of all arable.

?Both classes have strong representation in the Pakistani Parliament

The military receive $1.7bn in privileges, mainly in the form of preferential access to land, capital and infrastructure, as well as tax exemptions.

Above all simply indicate that we as nation are becoming perpetual habit of begging or dependency on government instead of going to self-sufficiency. Each segment of society from the poorest to richest is asking the government for money for their survival. But the question how long government can afford to pay these huge subsidies and still be functional.

One more thing that people or nation who rely on begging I mean loans or assistance never become self-sufficient, they have low moral values and this is clearly visible in our society. I just fail to understand that why we could success in training our people so that they can earn their money and well as self-respect.

Solution

1.???? There is no way out from this growing begging culture except that you educate and train your masses very well. There is need for huge trained manpower in our own country as well there is growing need for reliable manpower in many countries, you can work from remote assistance while sitting at your home but the question who will guide this nation for that. You do not have expert who can train them and make them valuable workforce of our society with self-respect.

2.???? For corporate or industrial elite must realize that no one can bear the cost of their luxury except by themselves. Elite must reduce their dependencies on subsidies and try to grow fair culture. They multiply the factories but they still asking for subsidies is bit unfair. For export industry that USD has reached to level of 290 from less than 100 just 6 years ago so your income has already been multiplied and still you do not want to pay the price of electricity. The power plants under CPEC or other IPPs are installed for the industry and not for general masses and now it is your responsibility to utilize it and get rid of capacity payments so you cannot reduce the capacity payments unless you use these plants.??

3.???? Our 1% urban elite who holds the 9% of the wealth must realize that they should invest their resources in human development rather than business empire in terms of import businesses and residential and commercial land development. Our people cannot afford to buy you expensive land and neither country can afford luxury import in all farms. I would rather suggest them if they have money come to rural area and make investments in agriculture land development. There are more business opportunities for them and it will improve our growth as well.

4.???? Our Rural elite who owns 22% of arable land should stop getting subsidies in all farms including the subsidies at national calamity as that should also be given to the poor rather than to all. You stop taking subsidies on agriculture machinery like tractors, fertilizers and seeds.

5.???? Our bureaucracy should realize that people are giving you huge amount in terms of salary and other benefits. You need to perform fairly in each field and facilitate each and every sector as per your capacity. It is the time for your return.

6.???? Our military should also realize that they are not expert in each and every field and neither it is their job to construct the housing societies, farmlands, construction companies or agri business. I worked in the middle east and found how strong are their companies. We are never able to develop growing companies because we find most of the contract are awarded to military based companies like FWO and NLC. The question why we could not have developed reasonable companies to complete them.

7. We all must understand that how can a country afford such luxury who has to pay almost 22 Billion USD to loan and interest payment.

Let hope for the best that we will soon will get out of this trap and perpetual act of begging and reliance and grow our nation with self-respect.?