Ramazan 2025 hasn’t augured well for the ordinary consumers. The yearly markets, called Ramazan Bazaars, which offered essential goods at subsidised rates, are nowhere to be seen. In their place, the Punjab government has set up Sahulat stalls at Model Bazaars and introduced a cash transfer scheme as part of the Ramazan Nigehban Package.

Officials say this is meant to streamline relief efforts and eliminate corruption.

At Ghalib Market, in Gulberg, where a huge Ramazan Bazaar used to operate every year, the ground is now empty at daytime. In the evenings, though, it is occupied by boys from the locality for a game of cricket.

The public clearly misses the Ramazan Bazaars. The option that they’ve got may not be within easy reach. Hassan Ishaq, a resident of Gandhi Park, is a banker in his mid-30s. He says he was looking forward to the bazaar in their area, but now he has to travel all the way to Township where the provincial government has set up Sahulat stalls in the Model Bazaar.

“The Sahulat stalls are impressive to look at, but my experience with them wasn’t quite good,” he tells TNS. “It took me around 40 minutes to purchase a 2-kg sugar packet. They offered a Rs 15 per kg subsidy [on sugar], but standing in a queue for hours just to save Rs 30 isn’t a great deal.”

Ishaq says that his ID card was scanned before he could make the purchase. This caused a further delay. “All this was very frustrating.”

The shift to Sahulat stalls has left many wondering about their utility. While Model Bazaars have been there for a while now, and feature grocery items on DC rates, the Sahulat stalls have only added a layer to the existing setup without offering any significant discounts. The question everyone is asking is: if the government is spending millions on this programme, where is the relief?

The main problem, many argue, is accessibility. Lahore with a population of almost 13 million has only 10 Model Bazaars, which means that a vast majority of residents lack easy access to these facilities. In northern Lahore, for instance, Ravi Town, Wagha Town, Aziz Bhatti Town, Gulberg Town and Data Ganj Bakhsh Town have no Model Bazaars. Similarly, in 17 other districts of the Punjab, there is no Model Bazaar. The government has announced plans to set up the bazaars in 13 districts over the next few months, but that means no relief for the public for now.

Further, many people are not satisfied with the quality of goods offered at the Sahulat stalls. Customers are often found complaining about the fruits and vegetables being substandard.

The government had promised that the commission agents (arrhtis in local vernacular) would sell 17 essential items at wholesale rates at the Model Bazaars, but the arrhtis seem to have refused to do that. The Flour Mills Association has agreed to provide 10-kg flour bags at Rs 800 each and the Sugar Mills Association settled on Rs 130 per kg for sugar.

The main problem is accessibility. Lahore with a population of almost 13 million has only 10 Model Bazaars, which means that a vast majority of residents lack easy access to these facilities.

Sugar distribution is a major issue. While the government is providing a subsidy on sugar, the process of availing it is far from easy. People have to stand in queues for hours, with their CNICs, to buy sugar at a slightly reduced price.

Muhsen Ali, a Lahore-based journalist who’s been critically looking at the Ramazan Bazaar policies of the Mohsin Naqvi-led caretaker government and Maryam Nawaz’s government, says, “The key difference [between Naqvi and Nawaz] is that the former provided 20kg of flour free of cost, the current administration is pressing dealers through bureaucratic interventions for a meagre discount [on sugar].

“Naqvi too had made ID verification mandatory for free distribution of flour,” he recalls.

Ali says the other relief measures being tomtommed about are just to make attractive headlines in papers. “For example, the government has announced a Rs 20 per kg discount on poultry at the Sahulat stalls. However, customers are not sure about the quality of the meat being sold. Secondly, no reduction has been given on cooking oil/ ghee. The Ghee Mills Association, too, has refused to offer a discount. Absent a price reduction, the government’s Ramzan relief programme has no real value.”

The government has invested millions in branding, advertising and making logistical arrangements for the Sahulat stalls. Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Salma Butt was seen on national television defending the government’s decision to scrap the conventional Ramazan Bazaar format. Her argument was that the old system was riddled with corruption, inefficiency, and mismanagement of funds. “Every year Ramazan Bazaars were allowed to offer subsidies worth Rs 15 billion. Besides, millions were spent on setting up the tents,” she said.

Butt called the new system “more transparent and focused on direct cash transfers to deserving families.”

Under the Ramazan Nigehban Package 2025, the provincial government has allocated Rs 30 billion for cash transfers. Three million vulnerable families have been identified as eligible to receive the cash prize of Rs10,000 each, via pay orders to be delivered by the Pakistan Post. The amount can be withdrawn through bank accounts, mobile banking apps, or nearby retail stores.

The logic behind this shift, according to officials, is that it allows people to prioritise their needs rather than rely on government’s choice of food items. Yet, this system comes with its own set of challenges. While cash transfers provide financial flexibility, they do not address the issue of rising food prices or meet the needs of the white-collar people.

Ahsan Raza is interested in urban issues. He can be reached at ahsanbudh110@gmail.com