ISLAMABAD (Dunya News/Web Desk) – Increasing the volume of Ramazan Relief Package to by Rs5 billion to Rs12.5 billion, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday also expand its scope to provide relief to more people who have been crushed by unprecedented inflation as stagnant wages and shrinking purchasing power have made their life miserable.
The decision comes food inflation is rising at an alarming rate with the holy month of Ramazan just round the corner as profiteers and hoarders are trying to take of increased consumption.
Despite the promise made by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to activate the district administration to control prices and arrest the practice of hoarding, there is marked increase in vegetable prices as well as other items.
Meanwhile, food prices have been rising at much faster pace in other parts of the country as the government machinery is unable to even implement the price lists shared on the daily basis.
According to the directives issued by the prime minister, mobile units – apart from the utility stores – would also ensure supply of cheaper food items.
To meet the target of reaching more poor households, 1,200 mobile points and 300 permanent relief centres are being established initially across the country, as food items would be supplied at subsidised rates from the first of Ramazan till the holy month’s last day.
As far as the mobile units are concerned, the distribution points would be selected by using modern GPS technology and a dashboard is being established to keep an eye on the movement of trucks carrying flour for ensuring transparency in the whole system.
Shehbaz had earlier announced an Rs7.5 billion Ramazan Relief Package on March 7 to provide subsidised food items to nearly 39.6 million people, as wheat, rice, ghee/cooking oil, pulses, sugar, beverages [like Rooh Afza] and milk are to be sold at lower rates.
As a result, the subsidised prices would be 30 per cent lower than the market rates, which are Rs77 per kg less in the case flour and Rs70 for ghee/cooking oil.