Budget 2020-21: Rs 25.50 billion allocated for health

ISLAMABAD: The PTI-led federal government has presented a budget for the financial year 2020-21 in which the health budget has been increased by 130 percent.

According to the budget documents, Rs 11 billion was allocated for health for the current financial year 2019-20; however, for the next financial year 2020-21, it has been increased by about 130 percent.

Federal Minister Hamad Azhar in his budget speech had said that Rs 25.25 billion has been allocated for the health sector.

The government has also allocated Rs 70 billion for a “special programme to mitigate Covid-19 impact” in the Public Sector Development Programme of FY2020-21.

The programme will focus on education, sewerage, solid waste management, provision of clean drinking water and development of health facilities, a document detailing PSDP expenditures said. The programme will be executed in collaboration with provincial governments and federal territories.

In a bid to encourage healthy living, the government has increased FED on imported cigarettes from 65 percent to 100 percent and from 13 percent to 25 percent on caffeine-based drinks.

It is worth mentioning here that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has presented a budget of Rs 71.36 trillion in which no new tax has been announced.