Federal Cabinet takes notice of medicines shortage in Kurram

Federal Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of shortage of medicines in Kurram district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and ordered the concerned authorities that the shortage of medicines should be removed immediately, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

PM Shehbaz said that the federal government should contact the KP government on the shortage of medicines. 

Meanwhile, federal Cabinet approved National Registration and Biometric Policy Framework. Under One Nation, One Identity, a unique ID will be created for each Pakistani and complete data of every citizen will be integrated. Passports, identity cards, immunizations, court and police records will be consolidated. NADRA, State Bank, SECP, FBR will have access to the data. The federal cabinet has approved the reorganization of the board of various institutions. 

Addressing the Cabinet members, PM Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said the central bank’s announcement of cut in the interest rate by 2% to 13% will help boost investment in the country and stimulate the economic growth. “Taking advantage of the good news on economic front, we should first promote domestic investment, as a result the foreign investment will automatically come to the country,” the prime minister said while chairing a cabinet meeting here. 

Welcoming the recent positive indicators, the prime minister noted that the policy rate had been reduced by 2% to 13%, which would provide relief to businesses and investors. He described this as a “welcoming sign” for the economy, expressing optimism that it would encourage investment and stimulate growth. He further highlighted that the inflation rate had dropped to its lowest level since 2018, a significant development for the economy. 

Addressing the persistent challenge of polio eradication, the prime minister regretted that while the polio virus had been nearly eradicated worldwide, Pakistan still faced obstacles in becoming a polio-free country. He stressed the need to overcome these challenges and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to eliminating the disease.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed deep sorrow over the tragic loss of Pakistani lives in the recent boat capsizing incident near Greece. Shehbaz Sharif emphasized the importance of promoting local investment and announced that the government had completed a home-grown economic plan, which will be formally unveiled in a special event soon. Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday expressed satisfaction over achieving a record current account surplus in November.

 “For the first time in 10 years, Pakistan’s current account surplus reaching US$729 million in November 2024 is extremely encouraging for the national economy,” the prime minister said in a press statement issued by the PM House. He highlighted that cut in the policy rate by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), gradual decline in inflation rate and increase in the current account surplus were clear evidence of the government’s positive economic policies. “Pakistan’s position in the international economic market will strengthen with record increase in the current account surplus,” the prime minister added. He noted that the increase in current account surplus would also increase the local and foreign investor’s confidence in Pakistan’s economy.

PM Shehbaz also extended appreciation to Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Minister of State for Finance Ali Pervaiz Malik and the government’s economic team for their tireless efforts. 

Reporter: Awais Kiyani