KARACHI: The economic disparity between East and West Pakistan has been reduced to 2.8 per cent, as against 7.7 per cent in 1963. The East Pakistan growth rate has also risen to 4.2 per cent, as against 1.9 per cent in the fifties.

Radio Pakistan`s Rawalpindi representative says that this is due to a number of measures taken by the Central Government to increase the tempo of development in the Eastern Wing and to minimise the inter-wing disparity.

These measures include larger allocations of development funds in the public sector, a threefourths share of total Central cash development loans, longer tax holidays for investments and preferentialtariffratesinEastPakistan.

The current plan provides for 53 per cent, of the total development expenditure in the public sector for East Pakistan as compared to 47 per cent for the Western Wing.

In the distribution of the development outlay, the Central Government provided 72 per cent of the development loan for East Pakistan, as against 28 per cent for West Pakistan during the Erstthree years ofthe currentplan.

During the Second Plan period, East Pakistan received only 49 per cent of the development loan. Correspondent