A Retiree Rights Activist: The Government's Economic Promises Are Unachievable

An economist and retiree rights activist believes that the government's economic promises and the targets set in the seventh development plan are unattainable, as the necessary conditions for advancing economic programs do not exist. Alireza Heydari argues that one of the best tools to meet the economy's need for resource mobilization is the capital market and stock exchange, but 'our capital market and stock exchange have been completely discredited due to government actions in recent years.' The vice president of the Union of Veteran Workers stated to ILNA news agency that the main question is: Has the government considered why we have experienced liquidity growth of over 30% for many years? According to him, the government also wants to stabilize variables in the currency sector, but there too, the exchange rate is changing outside the control of policymakers. Heydari states: 'We have food inflation above seventy percent, which is unprecedented. A government that is supposed to bring inflation down to single digits has not even been able to reduce the inflation rate in the first two years compared to the previous period.' He adds that the government has not created social capital, and without public trust in the markets and the government not being seen as a competitor in the economy, no policy can be implemented. With the unveiling of the seventh development plan bill, the Islamic Republic's economic targets have also been revealed. Goals such as '8% economic growth,' '3.9% annual employment growth,' equivalent to one million jobs, alongside achieving '5.9% inflation' by the end of this program, are among the objectives mentioned in this bill. Many economic experts consider these goals unrealistic given the current situation and the past performance of the Islamic Republic. Claims by the Minister of Labor regarding the potential removal of two controversial articles from the seventh development plan have surfaced, alongside a review of a segment of the seventh development plan bill; the 'hell' of retirement. The delivery of the 'seventh plan' bill to the parliament; Raisi: Previous programs were 'about 40% implemented.' Labor protests against the seventh plan; Reza Shahabi: They unveiled 'new slavery.' The likelihood of removing 'anti-labor' articles from the seventh development plan has strengthened. A labor activist claims the government is fabricating statistics to 'control inflation.' The sixth development plan, which led to the development of poverty; a 62% increase in beneficiaries of the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation.