Massive loans taken by last govts primary cause of economic woes: Kiyani

ISLAMABAD, Mar 27 (APP):Minister for National Health Services and Regulation Amir Mehmood Kiyani on Wednesday said the problems being faced by the country today, particularly in the economic sector, were mainly due to the massive loans taken by the previous regimes.

Total foregin loan a decade ago was $6 billion, which reached $30 billion during the last two regimes and today the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had to pay Rs 6 billion per day interest on it, he said while talking to a private news channel.

The minister said the poverty alleviation programme ‘Ehsas’ launched by Prime Minister Imran Khan would help the vulnerable segments of society to earn their livelihood and come out of poverty. A new ministry was also being created for the purpose, which showed the government’s commitment towards the poor and downtrodden people, he added.

Kiyani said the poverty alleviation programme had been launched with Rs 80 billion budget, which would be increased to Rs 120 billion. The government would ensure that the deserving people should take benefit of the programme, he added.

He said the present government was taking action against the banned outfits, which came into being during the previous regimes, which had done nothing to control them.

The former governments, he said, had also ignored some 2.5 million children studying in religious seminaries while the PTI government was arranging formal education for them. The government had appointed its administrators in a lot of seminaries while in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, registration of mosques and and seminaries was underway, he added.

He said no government in the past had made any effort to develop health and education sectors. The PTI government, however, taken many initiatives to develop the two sectors. Some 20.5 million families would be provided Insaf health cards to get free of cost medical facilities in hospitals, he added.