LAHORE: The Punjab government will provide sugar for Rs70 per kg and flour for Rs400 per 10kg bag in all Ramazan bazaars of the province from Sunday (today).

The step has been taken on the directions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to provide a relief to people during Ramazan. The government has been running 317 Ramazan bazaars in all districts and tehsils of the province, and providing Rs50 per kilo subsidy on oil and ghee, Rs50 on a 10kg flour bag and Rs15 per kilo on sugar during Ramazan. The government has directed the administrators of Ramazan bazaars to allow selling two to four kilos of sugar per person.

The administration has also set up software and data centres to check the availability of subsidised items in these bazaars. These centres enter the sale of sugar, ghee and oil and flour after getting the identity card of each customer. The software has been installed to stop blackmarketing.

The data will show the detail of the items purchased by a customer and it will also show whether he or she needs more such items or not.

However, the people visiting Ramazan bazaars and utility stores to get vegetable oil and other food items at subsidised rates have complained about the poor quality and shortage of eatables. Long queues of consumers can be seen outside the utility stores and in Ramazan bazaars.

Meanwhile, Chief Secretary

Kamran Ali Afzal presided over a meeting at the Civil Secretariat to review the implementation of the Ramazan package, wheat procurement campaign and the measures to curb smuggling.

He directed the officers to ensure abundant availability of a 10kg flour bag at the rate of Rs400. He said providing a maximum relief to people during Ramazan was a priority, adding that the prices of essential commodities should be checked in the open market regularly.

The chief secretary asked the relevant authorities to take measures to control the smuggling of wheat and fertiliser and focus on monitoring of supplies of food items, especially fruits and vegetables ahead of Eid.

He also lauded the performance of deputy commissioners in the wheat procurement drive. The divisional commissioners gave a detailed briefing to the meeting through a video link.

The meeting was informed that flour and sugar were available in abundance in all the districts. The number of check posts in bordering districts had been increased to curb the smuggling of wheat and fertiliser.

The administrative secretaries of industries, food, information, director-general public relations, Punjab cane commissioner and the officers concerned attended the meeting while all commissioners and deputy commissioners participated through video link.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2022