ISLAMABAD, May 17: With an eye on general elections, the government is expected to announce several quick and result-oriented steps in the budget to bring down prices of kitchen items and to create jobs.

Reliable sources told Dawn on Wednesday that budget makers were working on the proposals to subsidise prices of various kitchen items, mostly pulses, meat, sugar and vegetables, to bring down their prices to an affordable level for the common people.

For stabilising prices of these items, the sources said initially there was an understanding to allocate Rs6-8 billion in the next budget as subsidy, which would be exclusively used for the purpose.

The sources said that the amount would be finalised in the next two weeks for the purpose as high prices had attracted a bad image for the government.

They said it was likely that the six per cent withholding tax would also be exempted on the import of pulses in the next budget as customs duty had already been exempted on it last year.

The sources said that it was likely that the government would allow the private sector to open shops in every locality and village across the country for selling subsidised goods to the consumers.

It was not possible for the government to open branches of utility stores in every village for the purpose.

“The government will provide products to these shops, including wheat, flour, sugar and pulses, on the rates available to the utility stores,” added the sources.

For creating job opportunities for poor people, the sources said, the government was working on a proposal to import CNG rickshaws which would be provided to the common people, and added that it would cost more than Rs1 billion to the national exchequer.

“We are considering importing rickshaws because the car scheme was misused by people last year,” the sources said.

It is likely that the rickshaws would be imported from China. A committee has already been constituted for the purpose.

The sources said that the government was also considering providing liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the maximum number of villages in the next fiscal year. The LNG price would be 30 to 35 per cent less in comparison to an LPG canister.

They said that villages would be initially selected for supplying LNG on the basis of population and storage facility, adding that, however, it would be provided to the maximum number of villages where supplying natural gas was not feasible.

Statistics showed that the average price of moong pulse reached Rs62.55 per kg in May 2006 as against Rs37.25 during the same month last year, mash pulse Rs73.13 per kg from Rs42.88, and sugar Rs37 per kg from Rs27.38.

The price of beef (with bone) rose to Rs115 per kg from Rs110 and mutton Rs220 per kg from Rs212.50 during the same month last year.