CM Usman Buzdar orders steps for flour, sugar prices stability

LAHORE:Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar chaired a meeting at Civil Secretariat on Monday to review rates and stock situation of sugar and flour in the province.

Secretary Food briefed him about the reserves and rates of sugar and flour in the province. The chief minister directed strict monitoring for stabilising the price of flour and the meeting decided to take every possible step to stabilise the rates of sugar. The chief minister made it clear that an increase in the rates of sugar and flour would not be tolerated.

Usman Buzdar expressed the satisfaction that a 20kg flour bag was available in abundance at the fixed price of Rs860. Punjab is the only province where flour bags are provided to the people at a fixed rate, he added. He also expressed satisfaction over the arrangements made in this regard and the meeting decided to take every possible administrative step to strict the monitoring for stopping the flour smuggling from the province.

The Punjab government is providing wheat to KP Province on a daily basis. It is also giving subsidy to the tune of billions of rupees to provide flour at fixed rates. The subsidy is the right of the poor while the provision of the subsidised flour to the elite is the cruelty with the poor, he added.

Directing to develop an effective mechanism for targeted flour subsidy, the chief minister asked the food department to provide a comprehensive plan in this regard. The Punjab government has released 659,000 ton wheat to the flour mills and it is providing more than 17,000 ton wheat to flour mills daily, he said. This helps in stabilising flour prices in the market, he added. Punjab has around 3.7 million ton wheat reserves.

The chief minister directed strict monitoring for stabilising the price of flour and the meeting decided to take every possible step to stabilise the rates of sugar. He made it clear that an increase in the rates of sugar and flour would not be tolerated and directed the administrative officers to submit reports to him by reviewing prices after markets' visits. I will also review the field situation by going to different markets and no one can be allowed to exploit the people, he concluded.

Senior Minister Abdul Aleem Khan, Chief Secretary, secretaries of industries and information departments and others attended the meeting.

notice: Usman Buzdar has sought a report from RPO and Commissioner Gujranwala about the incidents of dog biting in Mandi Bahauddin. He expressed deep grief over the death of a woman as a result of dog bite and extended sympathies to the bereaved family.

He directed to provide the best healthcare facilities to the injured women. A report be submitted to my office after holding investigations and legal action be taken after identifying those responsible for this negligence, he added.

condolences: Usman Buzdar expressed deep grief over the death of Pir Tariq Ahmed Shah, brother of federal interior minister Brig (R) Ijaz Ahmed Shah. He extended sympathies to the bereaved family, as well as Brig (R) Ijaz Shah, and prayed for the departed soul.

“I am deeply saddened over the death of your brother and pray to Almighty Allah to grant courage to all of you to bear the loss with equanimity,” the CM said.