People demand subsidised items in open market

Islamabad : The poor segments of society have appealed to the government to provide subsidised items like flour, sugar, rice, ghee/oil and pulses in open market rather through utility stores. The subsidised items remained absent in government run utility stores all the times.

A few days back, Prime Minister announced to provide subsidy on five essential items including wheat flour, sugar, ghee/edible oil, pulses and rice for the low income groups through utility stores.

The people have appreciated this decision of Prime Minister but appealed to flout these items in open market rather through utility stores. The previous government also announced subsidy on these five items but unfortunately these were not available in the government run stores.

Even today, subsidised ‘ghee’ is not available in stores for over two months. The flourmill owners also refused to provide subsidised ‘atta’ to stores.

‘The News’ interviewed people belonged to different segments of society. They said that government should make solid plans to provide maximum relief at least on kitchen items but through open market rather than utility stores.

Israr Ahmed, a citizen said that providing relief to people should be the first priority of the government.

“We have already faced enough humiliation in previous government, where public remained standing in long queues all the times but in vain,” he advised.

Bushra Naveed, a housewife said that government has completely failed to control inflation in the country. It seems that the government was also finding out easy ways to be famous therefore announced to provide subsidised items through utility stores.

Another, Nourin Bashir, a housewife said that people were facing record inflation in the history of Pakistan. All governments were telling the stories of IMF, whereas a common man don’t relying on these stories. One only wanted low prices of ghee/cooking oil, pulses, vegetables, ‘atta’, rice and several other items.

Dr Najam Sheraz, a citizen said that local management was not doing its job with sincerely because profiteers and hoarders looting public both hands in guise of POL and dollar prices. The wholesale dealers and retail shopkeepers are earning 100 per cent profit on all items, he said.

He also said that people are sending their data to NADRA to get only two kilogram subsidised ghee or sugar.

Several others said that over 80 per cent people were purchasing all kitchen items from open market due to its availability, while only 10 to 20 per cent people approaching government run stores, where maximum items were not available all the times.