Free Flour for the ‘Poorest People’ during Ramadan Relief Package by Prime Minister

• Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that the ‘poorest people’ would get free wheat flour during Ramadan.
• Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman and Finance Secretary Mujahid Sherdal briefed the Prime Minister about the Ramadan package preparation. 
• The price of flour has increased by more than 100 percent in the last two years,
• The USC chief said the government subsidized Rs 1 billion 60 crores monthly.

According to the media reports, this package will be implemented first in Punjab and then in other parts of the country.

After a meeting with Punjab government officials, the Prime Minister directed the officials to prepare a strategy for supplying flour to low-income families as soon as possible.

Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman and Finance Secretary Mujahid Sherdal briefed the Prime Minister about the Ramadan package prepared by the provincial government.

Also Read: The Prime Minister Approved the Wheat Support Price in Punjab

The price of flour has increased by more than 100 percent in the last two years, during which the price of naan has increased from Rs 12 to Rs 30.

Meanwhile, the Senate Standing Committee was briefed on the steps taken by the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) took to ensure the availability of essential commodities at reasonable rates.

The meeting of the Committee on Industry and Production was held at the Parliament House under the chairmanship of Senator Khaleda Atib. USC chief Muhammad Ali Amir told the committee that the corporation’s stocks include 1,900 metric tons (MT) of flour, 10,300 metric tons of sugar, 1400 metric tons of ghee, and 500 metric tons of pulses.

Muhammad Ali Aamir said that the government is giving ‘targeted subsidy’ to those people whose monthly income is less than Rs 29,000 and who are registered under the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP).

The USC chief said the government was providing a subsidy of Rs 1 billion 60 crores every month, and a significant part of this amount was being spent on flour. Rs 62 per kg subsidy was being given on flour.

Senator Saifullah Sarwar Khan Niazi asked Muhammad Ali Aamir about the steps to prevent corruption in the Utility Store Corporation.

He replied that the corporation has been running its operations manually for the past 50 years, but “now we intend to digitize the entire operation.”

Muhammad Ali Aamir said that this would help a lot in curbing corruption.

The Senate Committee was apprised of the government’s measures to ensure the availability of essential commodities at reasonable prices during Ramadan.

The managing director of USC said that a subsidy of Rs 5 on 19 items will be given to the ‘targeted recipients’ and the general public.

Senator Khaleda Ateeb asked the head of utility stores about the procedure to differentiate between deserving and non-deserving. He replied that those registered with BISP are considered ‘targeted’ or ‘deserving persons.’

The chairman of the committee proposed to bring more families under the umbrella of BISP.