ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said Monday that the government is giving subsidy of three billion rupees to provide ghee to the masses on reduced rates. Addressing a news conference here, she pointed out that the price of ghee in the open market is five hundred and fifty rupees per kilogram whilst it is being provided at the rate of three hundred rupees per kilogram through the Utility Stores Corporation. This accounts for subsidy of 250 rupees on each kilogram of ghee.
The minister for information said that flour bag of ten kilogram is also being provided at reduced rates of four hundred rupees through Utility Stores. She said the flour is available at the same rate in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as per the promise made by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
She said one hundred mobile units and six hundred stationery sale points have been added to the system in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in order to ensure the availability of wheat flour to the masses in the province.
Marriyum Aurangzeb said that price control committees have also been constituted. She said steps are being taken to check hoarding and smuggling of the essential commodities.
The minister said seventeen billion rupees were earmarked in the budget for the provision of cheap ghee, flour and sugar to the people in the next fiscal year.
Alluding to the failures of the PTI government, she said the present government is taking steps to take the economy towards stability. A package has been announced in the budget for the agriculture sector.
She said the government has taken practical steps to provide relief to the masses.
Info minister blames PTI govt for record food inflation
She said that 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 Rs 35 per kg which increased to Rs 90 to Rs 100 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 Rs. 400 per 10 kg 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 subsidized flour was being provided to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
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.
She also said that those who had adopted the narrative of external conspiracy were giving lectures on inflation these days. 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 for information said that flour bag of ten kilogram is also being provided at reduced rates of four hundred rupees through Utility Stores. She said the flour is available at the same rate in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as per the promise made by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
She said one hundred mobile units and six hundred stationery sale points have been added to the system in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in order to ensure the availability of wheat flour to the masses in the province.
Marriyum Aurangzeb said that price control committees have also been constituted. She said steps are being taken to check hoarding and smuggling of the essential commodities.
The minister said seventeen billion rupees were earmarked in the budget for the provision of cheap ghee, flour and sugar to the people in the next fiscal year.
Alluding to the failures of the PTI government, she said the present government is taking steps to take the economy towards stability. A package has been announced in the budget for the agriculture sector.
She said the government has taken practical steps to provide relief to the masses.
Info minister blames PTI govt for record food inflation
She said that 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 Rs 35 per kg which increased to Rs 90 to Rs 100 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 Rs. 400 per 10 kg 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 subsidized flour was being provided to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
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.
She also said that those who had adopted the narrative of external conspiracy were giving lectures on inflation these days. 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”.
