The National Federation Party is calling on the government to revisit the 2020/2021 National Budget to ensure that provisions are made for those who have already fallen below the poverty line and those who could quickly fall below the poverty line.
NFP Leader, Professor Biman Prasad says the poverty rate of 37.5% for the most severe is only likely to get worse in the next one or two years.
Prasad says the revelation by the UN Pacific Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Fiji is a warning sign of what is to come as we navigate our way through the crisis.
The NFP Leader says the failure of the government in the last budget to make adequate allocation for those in poverty shows that it is removed from reality.
We have sent questions to the Minister for Economy. He is yet to respond.
