PTI Ch Sarwar ???White Paper??? English News
Lahore, ( ) Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Punjab organiser Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar has issued a ???White Paper??? on government failures to curb price-hike, poverty and joblessness and asserted that more than 58 per cent people are living below the poverty line including 48 per cent in rural areas and 20 per cent in urban areas across the country. In South Punjab, the white paper said 43 per cent people are living below the poverty line and over 100 men and women are committing suicides due to poverty-related issues. After the PML-N came into power, the document said that over 1.5 million have been rendered jobless and some 400,000 would be added in this figure by the end of 2016. Due to joblessness, the paper said that some 75 per cent youth had become prey to different mental ailments and the trend of using drugs among youth had risen by 200 per cent among youth. It said the Rs40 billion new taxes had increased prices of some 125 items among others, which were being used by common people on daily basis. The new taxes had multiplied problems being faced by the common people. Just because of poverty, the document said masses were not even able to get decent health and education facilities as well as safe drinking water. It stated that every third Pakistan was now not able to have proper meals twice a day. It said the rulers, instead of reducing price-hike and poverty incidence, were preparing plans and schemes to make people beggars. In the white paper issued here on Thursday, PTI Punjab organiser Chaudhry Sarwar said the PML-N had raised a slogan that it would end poverty from the country but the prices of electricity, gas and all eatables were continuously on the rise. He said the media reports suggested that factories were being closed due to electricity and gas load-shedding and added that over 100 factories had been closed during the PML-N rule in Punjab alone. He tagged the PML-N government after successive governments since 2002 as responsible for highest level of joblessness as 1.5 million people became jobless since 2013. He said joblessness had also become an epidemic like poverty in the country and added that there were some 5.3 million jobless people in the country and this number was on the rise due to ineffective economic policies of the incumbent government. Chaudhry Sarwar said Pakistan???s total labour force was around 63.6 million and 80 per cent of those doing different jobs were unhappy and six out of 10 young men in the country were compelled to take jobs, which were less than their competence. Among women, he said this ratio was slightly higher at 60.3 per cent. Every year, he said, some two million youth had been compelled and the government was required to accelerate productivity by seven per cent to end joblessness in the country. However, he said, the productivity rate was around three per cent in the country. Therefore, he said, millions of young men and women go abroad to look for greener pastures and many of those becoming victims to different frauds. He said travel agents and other businesses involved in sending youth abroad had become an industry and depriving youth of their families??? hard earned money. In the white paper, Chaudhry Sarwar also said that 75 per cent of the jobless youth was suffering from different mental illnesses and were being forced to use drugs. Despite all claims of the government, he said more than 58 per cent people in the country were living below the poverty line. He said more than 43 per cent people were living below the poverty line in South Punjab including 44 per cent in Rajanpur, 40 per cent Muzaffargarh, 36 per cent D.G. Khan, 33 per cent in Bahawalpur, 31 per cent in Layya, Lodhran and Pakpattan and 28 per cent in Khanewal, Multan and Bhakkar. ???Poverty is increasing because corruption is rampant across the country,??? he commented. The white paper also said that media reports suggested that the Rs40 billion new taxes had opened the floodgate of price-hike in the country and the prices of routine eatables including chicken, yoghurt, milk, honey, coconut had been increased by 15 per cent. He said the pulses prices had been increased by Rs10 to Rs15 per kilogram. Similarly, he said, woolen clothes and readymade dresses??? prices increased by 10 per cent. He said kids jackets and garments rates increased by five per cent, bed-sheets, tie, blanket and curtain prices increased by five per cent. He said the prices of decoration items increased by five per cent, while leather shoes prices increased by 10 per cent.
