Minister for Communications, Muhammad Shamim Siddqui said on Tuesday that terrorism and suicide attacks were threat to foreign investment in the country. Speaking on a resolution moved by MNA Yasmeen Rehman about the eradication of poverty in the country, the minister said that the economic policies of the present government aimed to eradicate poverty from the country.
He said that increase in agricultural support prices directly benefited the farmers. He further said that investment in agriculture, infrastructure, banking, energy sectors has directly and indirectly benefitted the lower class of the society.
Shamim Siddiqui said that PSDP in the present fiscal year has reached record figure of Rs 520 billion as compared to Rs 100 billion in 1999. About flour availability situation he said that it was available at Utility Stores Corporation (USC) at Rs 13.80 per kilogram while in open market it was now available at Rs 16.
He said that masses have trust in the economic policies of the government and poverty has been reduced. Earlier, opening the debate on the resolution, Yasmeen Rehman said that poverty is main issue of our country. She claimed that ground reality was far from the figures of poverty reduction given by Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS).
She said that during last couple of years inflation has risen rapidly, which has eroded the purchasing power of the middle and lower class of the society. Syed Zafar Ali Shah blamed weak institutions for what he called unjust distribution of resources in the country. He alleged that local government system was a source of corruption in the country.