ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday decided to start distribution of free wheat flour among 185,000 families of the Federal Capital by March 18, as part of an initiative to provide relief to inflation-hit poor people during Ramazan.

The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif here who said the government was striving to provide maximum possible relief to the people amid inflation.

As per the decision, the eligible people would be able to get flour from 40 outlets of the Utility Stores.

In order to avoid any inconvenience, the people have been asked to check their eligibility for the free flour by sending an SMS containing their CNIC number to the 8717 helpline of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) as the data has been linked with the BISP.

As per the criteria, the families registered with the BISP and having a poverty score of 60 or lesser will be eligible to avail of the facility. The registered families will be entitled to get 30 kilograms of flour in a month.

In case of any complaint, the people may contact at the toll-free helpline 0800-05590.

The prime minister said the government was making efforts to reduce the difficulties faced by the low and middle-income groups, particularly during Ramazan.

He instructed the authorities concerned to take measures to avert long queues of people at the flour distribution points.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Adviser to the PM Ahad Cheema, ex-MNA Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Capital Development Authority chairman, Utility Stores Corporation managing director and relevant senior officers attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2023