MANSEHRA: Adviser to the prime minister on political and public affairs Amir Muqam has directed the Utility Stores Corporation to ensure smooth provision of subsidised wheat flour to the people across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wanted an early, uninterrupted supply of wheat flour to people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at subsidised rates, so we initiated its supply at specified points and are opening more and more such points to the relief of the people,” he told a function here on Saturday.

On the occasion, the USC officials briefed Mr Muqam about flour supply in Hazara division and other areas of the province.

Mr Muqam, who later left for Kohistan region, ordered the establishment of sale points for subsidised flour even at village and neighbourhood council level and said he won’t tolerate any compromise on quality and quantity.

He said he would visit other districts of the province as well to ensure smooth flour supply to people at subsidised rate.

Mr Muqam visited sales points and checked flour quality and bag quantity.

PRICE SURGES: The flour price has reached an all-time high in Hazara division with the traders blaming it on the continued ban on the ground wheat’s transportation by the Punjab government.

General store owner Shahzad Bashir told reporters on Saturday that 20kg bag of fine quality flour was sold for Rs1,680 and that of the double super quality for Rs1,580 in the local market and the price was even higher in remote areas.

He resented the continued ban on flour movement by the Punjab government to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Malik Muzaffar of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Flour Mills Association feared that the flour prices would go up further.

He said though the KP government had fixed Rs980 subsidised price for 20kg flour bag like the Punjab government but that rate could be enforced only if wheat quota of millers was almost doubled.

Published in Dawn,June 12th, 2022