ISLAMABAD: The Utility Stores Corporation (USC) will launch the biggest-ever Ramazan relief package on Saturday.

The package consists of subsidy on 19 essential items, including wheat flour, sugar, ghee, rice, cooking oil, pulses, white gram, dates, tetra pack milk, tea, spices and gram flour. Besides, the USC is offering hefty discounts on more than 1,500 products.

Under the relief package, a 20-kilogram bag of wheat flour will be available for Rs800, sugar for Rs68 per kg and ghee for Rs170 per kg. Subsidy on black tea will be Rs50 per kg, on oil Rs20 per litre, on pulses from Rs15 to Rs30 per kg, on white gram Rs25 per kg, on dates Rs20 and on rice Rs10-12 per kg.

Subsidy on squashes and syrups ranges Rs20-25, on UHT milk Rs20 per litre and that on spices 10 per cent.

A wheat flour bag weighing 20kg will be sold for Rs800 and sugar will be available for Rs68 per kg

The relief package will be implemented nationwide on over 4,800 utility stores.

In order to facilitate people and provide essential commodities at their doorsteps, the USC will increase the number of Mobile Utility Stores under the relief package. Since January 2020, the government through the USC has been providing subsidy on five staple food items (sugar, wheat flour, ghee, rice and pulses), ensuring food security in the country.

In 2020, the turnover of the USC was around Rs100 billion, serving 45.8 million households.

The USC is the first organisation in the country to have introduced poly/shopping bags by using Oxo-biodegradable Additives for green environment as per the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency’s rules for the betterment of the people of Pakistan. It has launched 64 products under the ‘Own Brand’ umbrella. The USC has also implemented a Demand-based Online Purchase Ordering System integrated with the Finance Payable System.

It has also initiated the automation programme to plug loopholes on its own sales and supply system. The automation will also enable the USC to start targeted subsidy for the poor segments of society with the surety that subsidy is dispersed to right individuals.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2021