ISLAMABAD: Federal Finance Minister Mohammad Aurangzeb said that population explosion and environmental changes are major challenges faced by Pakistan in the current circumstances.
“These major issues are directly impacting the lives of our future generation, resulting in malnutrition, poor sanitation, stunted growth and lack of access to clean drinking water. He said this while addressing a function in Islamabad on the occasion of World Population Day. The finance minister said that if Pakistan wants to become a $03 trillion economy in the future, it must tackle these two challenges on an emergency basis.
Highlighting the negative socio-economic consequences of unbridled population growth, Mr. Aurangzeb stressed the importance of birth spacing and public awareness. He added that “appropriate spacing between children is not against Islamic teachings.
He also pointed to the recently announced federal budget, which he said was prepared with the active participation of the entire cabinet under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. However, Mr. Aurangzeb noted that the current methodology of population-based distribution under the National Finance Commission (NFC) award warrants a review – a point echoed by both the federal health and planning ministers.
The finance minister drew attention to the imbalance between federal and provincial development allocations, noting that the federal government’s development budget is Rs1 trillion while the provinces’ combined development budget is Rs4 trillion. “This disparity calls for a common national strategy,” he asserted.
“We must move beyond provincialism and work collectively for the future of the country.” Mr. Aurangzeb also spoke about Pakistan’s engagement with international financial institutions, revealing that a 10-year Country Partnership Framework with the World Bank has been finalised. “One-third of the financial commitment under this program will focus on population control and climate change mitigation,” he informed.
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