Pakistan: Federal Cabinet austerity program

The federal cabinet has given an austerity plan to save 200 billion rupees, ministers will not take salaries, benefits, expensive vehicles will be returned, utility bills will be paid by themselves. After the cabinet meeting, while holding a press conference with federal ministers and assistants, the prime minister said that in official events one dish, ban on unnecessary foreign trips, reduction in electricity consumption, Tosha Khana records will be public, decision to reduce cabinet size was postponed for a few days.

Currently, the country is suffering from an economic crisis. The ruling class is asking for sacrifice from the people, but they themselves are living a life of luxury. In the last 75 years, only poor people have sacrificed. Be it an earthquake or a flood, the burden of natural calamities has always fallen on the poor man. The ruling elite have never sacrificed. Even now, the 13-party ruling coalition, throwing dust in the eyes of the people, has simply announced that the 85-member cabinet will also sacrifice. A cabinet of 85 people has been formed for those who are not able to manage themselves economically. Even if the cabinet does not take privileges, such a large cabinet is a burden on the national treasury. It was proposed to reduce the size of the cabinet and limit it to 30 members.

The Prime Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif has avoided this by saying that this decision is difficult in the coalition government. It was said in the recommendations that all government officials’ protocol and security arrangement should be reviewed. Small and big vehicles should be stopped, concessions should be abolished, it was proposed to reduce the salaries of MPs, development funds should not be given to MPs, Rs. 5 lakh to anyone from the public treasury. No more than monthly pension should be given. Government officers should not be given large vehicles (Special Utility Vehicles ie SUVs). should be given, all benefits, security, support staff and utilities should be withdrawn from retired civil servants, judicial officers of high courts and civil service personnel, salaries of all members of national and provincial assemblies and senators should be reduced by 15%, federal and provincial levels, but the current budget of all ministries, divisions, sub-departmental offices, autonomous bodies, provincial governments and foreign embassies etc. should be reduced by 15%.

All civil servants, bureaucrats, judges and armed forces officers should not be given more than one plot. None of these proposals have been implemented. Prime Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif and his cabinet yesterday simply put the public behind the lamp that the ship-sized cabinet will also adopt simplicity even though the Prime Minister with his cabinet. Along with this, the privileges of the bureaucracy should also be reduced. Along with reducing the protocols of the ministers, take back the vehicles that are bigger than them. Politicians have been working with privileges for 75 years, now they should serve the people by spending from their own pockets.

Of course, if the government succeeds in making these savings as per its announcement, then only 200 billion rupees have been saved. But if the prime minister and his ship-sized cabinet only fulfill their duties, there will be a benefit of more than 200 billion rupees. In the meeting of the Standing Committee on Energy of the National Assembly, it was revealed that electricity worth 380 billion rupees was stolen in the country during this year. The Secretary Power has admitted that 200 billion rupees worth of electricity was stolen through coils and 80 billion meters, estimated to be 520 billion rupees stolen from electricity tariff increase next year, 5 billion per year from a grid station in Bannu. Besides, one of the main reasons for our economic problems is the culture of tax evasion. The cigarette industry is a prominent example of this trend, whose illegal trade, according to a report, is causing a loss of Rs 1 trillion annually to the national exchequer.

Two out of every five cigarettes in the country are sold illegally by tax evasion. This is just one example in the context of tax evasion otherwise this trend is common in every sector of national life and every profession. If a fully documented economy is introduced and all dues are collected in full, there is hardly any need for new taxes. In addition, some in the government ranks have contrived to raise the dollar rate, which is why public treasury also suffered irreparable loss. The question arises that during the time of Imran Khan, the price of oil in the world market was 115 dollars, which has now reduced to 85 dollars. The price of palm oil has reduced by 50% compared to the past, yet why are ghee and cooking oil expensive. Before asking for sacrifice from the people, NAB has waived cases worth 1100 billion by amending the laws, that money should also be deposited in the national treasury. Treatment can be done, if illness comes to the home of the poor, the sleep of the whole family becomes forbidden, how will the treatment be done? Now, instead of mere promises, practical steps are needed.