RAWALPINDI: Under the Nighaban Ramazan package of the Punjab government, free food bags were home delivered to 1,200 houses in Rawalpindi division on Tuesday on a trial basis.

The programme would formally be launched on the second day of the holy month of Ramazan in all districts during which dry rations would be provided to registered households by March 15.

Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema said on the instructions of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, distribution of food items under the ration package had been started in Rawalpindi district.

“The ration bag contains 10kg of flour and 2kg each of rice, sugar, ghee and gram flour,” he said.

Dr Cheema said assistant commissioners had been supervising the distribution of Ramazan ration packages in each tehsil, adding that this time deserving people would not have to travel to any remote area or stand in queue to avail the facility.

He said this time around, the district administration would itself deliver the food items at the doorsteps of deserving people.

He also said that it would be ensured that essential items in the package were of good quality and sufficient quantity, adding that the packages would be distributed in a timely manner.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Aamir Khattak directed the deputy commissioners to carefully verify lists of beneficiaries of the Nighaban Ration Programme.

Apart from the verification of addresses in the list, it should also be ensured that the households at the current addresses were eligible for the package.

“A separate list should be prepared for families who were no longer underprivileged and were not eligible for this package,” he said.

Under the supervision of the commissioner, ration was delivered to registered people of the Benazir Income Support Programme in different areas of the city.

In this regard, dry ration was provided by checking the data of the deserving people through the mobile phone app developed by the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB).

In this meeting, Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema participated in person, whereas deputy commissioners of Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal and Murree participated via video link. Parks and Horticulture Authority Director General Ahmed Hasan Ranjha, Director Local Government Sibtain Kazmi and other relevant officials attended the meeting.

The senior officials discussed the problems encountered in the distribution of the food packages and planned solutions.

Mr Khattak directed the authorities to ensure foolproof security of vehicles and rickshaws carrying rations and asked the deputy commissioners to see to it that there was no interruption in the ration supply operation.

The process of packing and distribution should continue day and night, the commissioner added.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2024