LAHORE, March 25: Over 200,000 20kg subsidized flour bags have been sold to the deserving persons in the city under the Sasta Atta Scheme since January and over 100,000 are in the pipeline.

Nearly 17,500 bags had been sold to the deserving persons at the rate of Rs170 per bag, Rs30 below the open market price by the end of February. Over 80,000 bags were sold during this month without increasing the price despite the fact that the price had increased to Rs215 in the open market because the government has not raised the price of wheat being supplied from the provincial reserves for the flour being sold under the scheme.

The subsidized flour is made available at the designated spots twice a week in 150 union councils. Trucks of mills sell the flour in 40 union councils daily to the deserving persons on presentation of the coupons supplied to them by UC Nazims, MNAs, MPAs and Senators.

The public representatives have issued 300,000 subsidy coupons to over 65,000 families of the deserving persons in the city for purchasing flour under the scheme. Some 100,000 flour bags are yet to be sold.

Scheme in-charge District Officer (revenue) Malik Mohammad Bakhsh said the public representatives were not bound to continue issuing subsidy coupons to the same persons and could select new ones for the purpose in case they thought that some of those issued coupons were not buying the flour or did not deserve to be provided the subsidy.