KARACHI: As per the budget released on Friday in the National Assembly by Hammad Azhar, the total pensions budgeted for FY21 is Rs470,000 million. However, the correct figure is Rs480,000 million. This is one of the many calculation mistakes made in the budget.
A look at the numbers shows how the amount, budgeted to be disbursed in the form of pensions, is roughly the same amount as the costs budgeted to run the civil government.
Critiques of the budget have expressed concerns over the alarming proportion of pension payments that are paid for as a recurring expenditure.
It is pertinent to mention that provincial pensions are not included in this amount, and neither are railway pensions. This means that the amount spent on pensions itself is more than the costs incurred by the government on day-to-day expenditure.
A further critique of the amount to be disbursed as pensions is that the share of military pensions greatly outweighs that of ex-civil servants. This amount is in addition to the set aside amount for the military in the budget.
The growing trend in the budgeted pension payments calls for the need for a pension scheme. Considering how the government cannot just abruptly stop paying pensions to retirees, there is a need to ensure this is not directly paid from the taxes that citizens are paying.
The critique the government is facing is not regarding the significantly large number set aside for pension payments, but merely the fact that the pension payments need to be funded. If not mitigated and looked after, the government may have a pension crisis at hand in the upcoming years.
Thought provoking…any details about provincial pensions .
Payments of pensions is not something new or of recent origin but historically old. Government is unnecessarily trying to make pension bills an issue just too sidetrack and hide its own incompetence and callousness on its failure to convert itself into a welfare state for the nation. Pension bill amount is not a big amount but a peanut to take care atleast of that much families equal to number of pensioners if not all the families throughout the country.
The government is accountable for its negligence.
Yeah I agree
Flop pti government, flop policies. Total incompetent pti gov.
I agree with Mr Israr Ahmed that payment of pensions is not something new or of recent origin but historically old. Government is unnecessarily trying to make pension bills an issue just to hide its incompetency and mismanagement. Various studies, very useful, have been conducted on this financial issue but but these are in the files and now new study is being conducted with extra expenditure, what is the requirement?
Pension bill amount is not a big amount but a peanut to take care atleast of that much families equal to number of pensioners if not all the families throughout the country. Government do not pay attention to save billions of rupees going into waste. They can see only pension bill.
Is Govt, Copying Madeena Riasat showing crual step mother’s treatment while discrimination with the poor civil Servants & Retired senior citizens. Is this Falahi Riasat? Even in Dictator Regime such crual treatments not witnessed. May God show the Govt right path.
This is dictatocracy
Failed IK government
Also above abservation about of government is correct. PTI is totally failed its performance showing in budget 20 21
Looks like paid article by the incompetent pti gov. Since this installed government came in to power, Pakistan facing several problems. Laanut hyy jhooti pti hakomut per.
Totally incompetent government and leadership. Budget of IMF announced by PTI government. Now they are looking for pensioners who live their lives on this monthly pension only.
This is the government who has this idiotic mindset that economy is bigger and important than citizens of the state . .What you expect from citizens by initiating such shameful and cruel acts of murdering the right of the people to live. We are such a stupid nation who have never learned anything from our shameful political history.
The govt. and the parliament should withdraw the recent increases in the pay and perks of the parliamentarian and ministers
Fuck you PTI
77% is going to military pensions and only 23% are going to civilians, who is actually sucking the blood of Pakistani Public.