KP govt's report sheds light on economic losses owing to coronavirus

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Tuesday prepared a report shedding light on the impact of coronavirus on the provincial economy, ARY NEWS reported.

The report prepared by the Planning and Development department of the province highlights the business sector and individuals affected from the lockdown due to coronavirus outbreak along with measures taken by the provincial government to cope up with it.

It said that there were around 7.7 million labourers in the country, most of whom are associated with the livestock and agriculture sector and remained least affected due to the lockdown.

Labourers in the construction and manufacturing sector were the ones affected badly from the impact of the virus.  People working in hotel, transport, services sector and wholesale dealers are also affected from the infection.

People working on daily-wages are also badly affected from the outbreak and the government has launched Ehsaas Cash programme to support the needy families.

The report said that the KP government would also support 3.5 million families from its own resources.

Further highlighting the measures, it said that the provincial government has given exemption of three months to industrial units from paying off their debts. The step is aimed at facilitating the industrial and manufacturing sector so that it continues to pay salaries to its employees.

The needy families would be given extra time to pay off their utility bills, said the report.

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It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan has reported 96 deaths from novel coronavirus while the total number of cases has jumped to 5,716 by Tuesday.

According to the latest statistics released by the National Command and Operation Centre, out of 5,716 infected persons, 1,378 have recovered their health and were discharged from the hospitals across the country, while 46 are still in critical condition.

The national dashboard recorded three coronavirus deaths during last 24 hours, taking the tally to 96.

During last 24 hours, overall, 3,157 tests were conducted countrywide, to detect the deadly virus. The number of tests conducted so far has increased to 69, 928.