After flour, govt gives Rs250/kg subsidy on ghee at USC

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, announcing Rs. 250 in per kilogram reduction in ghee price, said on Monday that the commodity would be available at all utility stores across the country at Rs300/kg whereas a bag of 10kg flour was already being provided at utility stores across the country at Rs400.

Addressing a press conference she said, in 2018, the price of flour was Rs35 per kg but when the PTI came to power, during the last four years, the pockets of mafias and cartels had been filled and the people were crushed under unprecedented inflation.

To mitigate the problems of the consumers, the present government, from day one had been taking steps to provide subsidies and relief to protect the people from the effects of inflation.

She said that in 2018, the price of flour in Pakistan was Rs35 per kg which increased to Rs90 to Rs100 per kg during the last four years and its quality was also compromised in the whole country, including utility stores.

She recalled that during the PTI era, flour was smuggled out of the country, it was exported and then imported, thus price was increased.

Similarly, sugar was also exported, then it was imported and its price was more than doubled to benefit the mafias. Marriyum said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had fixed the price of flour at utility stores at Rs400 per 10 kg keeping in view the rising rate of inflation. She said that from June 1, 2022, a scheme was started to provide flour at the rate of Rs400 per 10kg through utility stores in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Due to shortage of utility stores in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 100 mobile utility stores have been added there since June 6, 2022, through which subsidised flour was being provided to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

She said that on June 9, an additional 500 points were immediately allocated for the delivery of flour to the utility stores and today, 100 more points have been added. She said, now besides utility stores, about 700 mobile vans and 600 points were selling flour at Rs400 per 10kg in the province.

Marriyum Aurangzeb disclosed that so far 262,434 ten-kilogram bags of flour had been distributed at 600 sales points. For the convenience of the people in these areas where utility stationary points or mobile vans could not reach, toll free number 080005590 has been given on which the consumers could register their grievances.

In addition, complaints regarding flour quality or price difference could be lodged on a toll free number 051-111123570. Referring to the price of ghee, she said that in 2018, during the PMLN era, the price of ghee was Rs150 per kg.

In the last four years, ghee was being sold at Rs550 to Rs600. The minister said that a subsidy for ghee was introduced on June 9 with a total volume of Rs3 billion. She said that the price of ghee had reached to Rs550 per kg in the market. The government has reduced the price of ghee to Rs300 per kg by giving a subsidy of Rs250 per kg.

A monitoring system has been set up in the utility stores for complaints of shortage of flour, sugar and other commodities and to oversee matters such as selling ghee at exorbitant prices in the market.

In addition, price control committees had been constituted which would monitor hoarding and sale of items at higher prices. The minister said that the monitoring committees would provide updates to the chief secretaries and the prime minister chaired weekly meetings in this regard in which the provincial chief secretaries, including the ministers of food security and industry, also participated.

The minister said that if the public noticed the difference in prices at the utility stores or if these items were not available, they could call on the toll free number to register their complaint and the monitoring team will take immediate action on public complaints.

She said that a subsidy of Rs17 billion has been earmarked in the budget for sugar, ghee and flour. Moreover, she said, Rs2000 per month was being given to the poor people registered in BISP.

In addition, people earning less than Rs40,000 can avail petrol and diesel subsidy by sending an SMS to 786. She said that this subsidy was being given in view of the plight of the people.

Taking a dig on the PTI leadership, she said that those who had adopted the narrative of external conspiracy were giving lectures on inflation today. She recalled that Imran Khan used to say that he did not become the prime minister to control the prices of tomatoes and potatoes.

"The people have been suffering from inflation for the last four years while the present government has been in power for the last two months and it has been striving to provide relief to the people from inflation". The minister said that during the last four years, the pockets of the mafia and cartels had been filled and the people have been made unemployed.

That is why the present government is taking steps to provide subsidies and relief to the people. She said that the people would be updated on a daily basis and the prime minister was monitoring all the complaints himself. She said that people knew why difficult decisions were being taken today.

She said that in the last four years the wave of inflation had increased tremendously due to the inefficiency of the previous regime and the present government was taking steps to reduce the burden of inflation. "We will lead the country towards economic stability as the bulk of the budget was earmarked for the agricultural sector. There is zero tax on tractors, seeds and other agricultural inputs. There is also zero tax on renewable energy", she concluded.