Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the new Finance Minister, Shaukat Tarin, has been brought on to contain inflation.
He made these remarks while speaking to the general public through telephonic calls earlier this week. He said that Tarin’s appointment was also made with the target of economic growth.
He blamed the existence of cartels and monopolies for hiking inflation, such as seen in the sugar industry.
He also commended his government for taking solid steps to ensure economic growth in diverse sectors. He also mentioned that governmental reforms had allowed state-owned enterprises to cut down their losses to half, from Rs. 286 billion to Rs. 143 billion.
The current account deficit remained in surplus for the last ten months, and the foreign exchange reserves increased to $15.6 billion, the prime minister said. Adding, “During the pandemic situation when the whole world is facing financial crunch, our government has saved the economy.”
The premier also mentioned that the incentives offered to the housing and construction sector had encouraged economic activity in these segments, and the banks were also offering loans for the construction of houses.
PM Imran also shared that the government was making master plans for cities to overcome water shortage and sanitation issues. He said that vertical construction was allowed to accommodate the maximum population.
He said that while dams are being constructed to overcome water scarcity, a special arrangement for water supply to Islamabad is also in progress.
