LAHORE: Provincial ministers and lawmakers in the Punjab Assembly have termed federal budget 2017-18 balanced and farmer-friendly.

In their separate statements, they applauded Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on presenting a balanced budget in difficult circumstances.

Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said, "Pakistan Muslim League-N government has won hearts of farmers by giving them unprecedented relief and incentives in the budget 2017-18.

"The concessions in power tariff, rates of fertilizers and other agriculture inputs will provide relief to the farming community and the agri production will increase," he added.

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Finance Minister Ishaq Dar also announced 10% increase in the pension of retired employees, adding that ad-hoc allowance will also be given on basic salary of government employees

Provincial Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment Sheikh Alauddin said that presentation of a public-friendly budget was an achievement of the PML-N government.

Minister for Minorities Affairs Khalil Tahir Sindhu said the new budget would benefit all segments of society, adding that the government had fulfilled its promise of provision of relief to masses.

Punjab Government spokesman Malik Ahmed Ali said that the federal budget was people-friendly and aimed at national development.

Attention had been paid to development of infrastructure, energy and human resource, he added.

Provincial Parliamentary Secretary for Information, Tourism and Culture Rana Muhammad Arshad said that the budget would open new avenues of development.

He said that interests of deprived segments of society had been safeguarded in the budget.

MPAs Muhammad Rafiq, Yasin Sohail, Majid Zahoor, Hina Pervaiz Butt, Uzma Bukhari, and others termed the budget 2017-18 balanced and people-friendly.