In the budget, Rs1 billion was set up for medical coverage for journalists. Minister of Information of Marriyum expresses gratitude to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance for the historic allocation.
Saturday in ISLAMABAD, Minister of Information Marriyum Aurangzeb said that for the first time ever, the government would pay for health insurance for journalists.
The minister spoke to the press and said she was “very happy” to share the news that Rs1 billion would be set aside in the 2023 budget for journalist insurance.
For allocating resources for this necessary move, she thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.
Marriyum said that as minister of information, she felt obligated to ensure that journalists “especially in their hour of difficulty” had access to this facility.
To avoid angering the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Finance Minister Ishaq Dar released a record-breaking deficit budget of Rs14.5 trillion the day before the next general elections.
The government’s proposed spending plan for fiscal year 2023-24 appears to favor the informal economy over the official sectors while relying heavily on bilateral creditors like China, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to cover costs.
The measures, such as a 0.6% tax on cash withdrawals and an amnesty program to legalize $100,000 or Rs29 million in black money, would boost the informal economy and raise the amount of currency in circulation.
Dar stuffed the budget with tax cuts and subsidies for about a dozen industries, including a 30% raise for officers and a 35% raise for employees in grades 1 through 16. In addition to raising the minimum salary to Rs32,000, he also proposed a 17.5% rise in pensions.
