A former state minister for industries, Muhammad Unis Elahi, has said that the federal budget 2006-07 is an average budget which offers no relief to the common man, especially with reference to reduction in prices of daily use items.
Talking to Business Recorder here, he said that despite the government's claim about giving some kind of relief to the people in the budget proves a mere eye wash. He said that great stress has been laid on agriculture development in the budget documents but shifting its benefit to the stakeholders in fact matters, which usually does no take place.
Unis, a leading industrialist of NWFP, said that industry, which plays the role of backbone in national development, has been ignored and no incentive has been given to small and medium enterprises. He said that despite government's efforts, smuggling of cement is going on unchecked across the border to Afghanistan.
He welcomed the appointment of price control magistrates at town level and suggested that effective monitoring and planning could play key role in bringing down the prices of daily commodities.
He opposed the idea of giving subsidy on petroleum products and said that it would ultimately affect the taxpayers, who would have to bear its brunt. He opposed the mushroom growth of housing colonies by the government, especially the Defence housing colonies.