31 October 2004	Sunday	16 Ramazan 1425

LAHORE, Oct 30: The Punjab government will make 10 million 10kg subsidised flour bags available to deserving people in the province under the Chief Minister's Low Price Atta Programme from Dec 1 to April next year.

Punjab Food Minister Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal disclosed this at a meeting of the provincial price monitoring committee presided over by him here on Saturday. The provincial food and industries secretaries and district coordination officers also attended the meeting.

The minister was informed that on-the-spot fines totalling Rs52, 57, 106 had been imposed on hoarders and profiteers during 28,345 raids conducted by the price checking teams in different parts of the province during Ramazan.

The minister said the subsidized flour bags would be made available to half a million deserving families at the rate of Rs90 per bag. The provincial government would provide a subsidy of Rs250 million on 125,000 tons of wheat to be provided to the flour mills for the supply of flour bags at subsidized price.

He said that every district would prepare the lists of deserving persons for provision of the subsidized flour under the scheme. The DCOs would select suitable points in towns and kutcha abadis for the sale of the flour. At least 180,000 bags of subsidized flour had been sold in the Ramazan and Sunday Bazaars in the province so far, he said. No complaint had been received in respect of quality and availability of flour from any part of the province.

Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has ordered provision of nine million 20kg flour bags in the province at the rate of Rs190 each under the Ramazan package.

The minister directed the DCOs to continue the campaign against the hoarders and profiteers to ensure availability of essential commodities at reasonable prices.

He said that meetings of the district price control committee should be held regularly and stern action should be taken against the butchers engaged in the sale of substandard meat.