ISLAMABAD: Cabinet decisions taken today (Tuesday) would break down the rampant inflation in the country and people will free a sigh of relief, said Firdous Ashiq Awan, Special Assistant to PM on Information and Broadcasting.
Briefing the media about the decisions made in the cabinet meeting in a press conference here in the federal capital, Awan said the Utility Stores Corporation of Pakistan (USC) was being given Rs10 billion in subsidies over the next five months, to be disbursed as Rs2-billion monthly payments. The move was aimed to help bring down prices of wheat, rice, sugar, and ghee (oil), she added.
The SAPM said a 20-kilo bag of flour would now be available for Rs800, while sugar and ghee would be sold at Rs70 and Rs175 a kilo.
The PTI government’s economic team had on Monday proposed a Rs10-15-billion package for the USC, as well as a recommendation to bump up the number of outlets during a eeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan. The relief package for food items would be limited to the utility stores since no plan had been devised to subsidise the commodities’ prices at private stores.
It was reported further that loans worth Rs500,000 would be provided to set up utility stores as part of the Kamyab Jawan Programme. In the initial phase, the government plans to establish 1500 such stores.
During the meeting, the premier had also warned of stern action against those responsible for artificially hiking up wheat and sugar prices. Last month, he had launched a “grand operation” against those responsible for the wheat crisis in Pakistan as flour prices had skyrocketed countrywide.
The PM Office in this regard had also ordered the provincial governments, chief commissioners, and deputy commissioners (DC) to initiate stern action against the culprits. Dr Awan had reiterated the same, saying the prime minister took steps to bring stability in the wheat prices.
A report sent to the prime minister earlier had revealed that some senior government officials and politicians were involved in creating the wheat crisis. In some parts of the country, officials had not increased the wheat quota to flour mills in order to create the shortage.
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