Over 38,000 ration bags distributed

LAHORE: Under the Nigehban Ramazan Package, 38,290 ration bags have been provided to the deserving families on their doorsteps across the province while a transportation plan has been prepared for the distribution of 6.4 million ration bags, officials briefed the Punjab chief secretary here on Tuesday.

Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman chaired a meeting at the Civil Secretariat to review the measures being taken to improve governance, and monitor the Nigehban Ramazan package, and prices of food items. The chief secretary said that providing relief to the people from price-hike is the priority of the government.

He directed that a crackdown on hoarders and profiteers be intensified, adding that it is the responsibility of administrative officers to ensure availability of food items at fixed prices, and no negligence would be tolerated in this regard. The chief secretary ordered that the process of verifying the eligible persons for the Nigehban Ramazan package be completed as soon as possible and the Price Control Magistrates be mobilised in the field to prevent overcharging. The chief secretary also called for a report on the actions taken against the profiteers on a daily basis.

In the meeting, a comparison of the prices of essential commodities in all the districts was presented to the participants. The secretary industries and the relevant officers gave a briefing at the meeting. The officials said that in the last five days, the price magistrates inspected about 150,000 spots, getting registered 180 cases, and arresting 566 shopkeepers.

They said that the quality of the ration distributed under the Nigehban Ramazan package is being ensured and the teams of Punjab Food Authority are checking the quality of the items provided in the ration bags. They said that the process of third party validation of the

distributed ration bags is also underway.