The National Assembly (NA) is continuing discussion on the budget for the year 2023-24. At the outset, the House prayed to Allah Almighty to keep all the Muslims safe from all accidents and tragedies including natural disasters. Later, taking part in the discussion, Romina Khurshid Alam said the government has presented a people centric and forward thinking budget while keeping in mind both the short and long term measures. Alluding to the challenges faced by the country, she stressed that more resources should be allocated to deal with the issue of climate change.

She said there is also a need to encourage the farmers to shift to smart farming in order to enhance the productivity of the agriculture sector. Ghulam Mustafa Shah emphasized accelerating the reconstruction and rehabilitation work in the flood affected areas. Minister of State for Finance Ayesha Ghous Pasha said the federal government has fully supported rescue, relief and rehabilitation activities in the flood affected areas. In his remarks, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif asked the educational institutions to focus on teaching of moral values to the youth.

He also apologized over the remarks that he made against the Vice Chancellors the other day saying that he respects the teachers and educational institutions from the core of his heart. He, however, said that it is a fact that corruption has become rampant in our society. On the request of the Defence Minister, the Speaker expunged the words that were used against the Vice Chancellors from the proceedings of the House.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP