ISLAMABAD: The Utility Stores Corporation (USE) would start implementation of the Ramzan Package from Sunday, July 15 with the sole aim to provide relief to people, particularly the poor and low-income during the holy month.
"We have already finalized the arrangements to implement the Ramzan Package on July 15 as the corporation has completed about 100 percent procurement of the commodities that would be provided on subsidized rates during the holy month," Managing Director USC, Major General (R) Malik Muhammad Farooq told APP.
The government has approved Rs. 2.5 billion for the Ramzan package as compared to Rs. 2 billion of last year to provide quality goods on subsidized rates during the holey month of Ramzan, he added.
Talking to this agency, the USC MD said that besides the allocated subsidy, the Corporation has also decided to provide further relief to common man by minimizing profit ratio and passing on the benefits of rebates provided by the suppliers to the end consumers.
He informed that USC had already started working on its 100 day plane with the procurement of different commodities on economical rates before starting of the holey months to provide maximum relief to poor segments of the society as prices of essential goods registers upward trend by the start of the month.
The government has also hired warehouses for keeping the sufficient stocks as well as to monitor the quality of the products and smooth supply throughout the Ramzan, he added.
"Quality control in all 5,800 country wide outlets is the top priority of the corporation and special vigilance teams have been constituted to keep strict check on the quality of the commodities", he added.
Malik Muhammad Farooq said that USC has procured 2,000 metric tons of pulses which would be ground in the USC's grinding mills and would be distributed in its 10 zones to provide pure basin at Rs. 105 per kg as against Rs. 130 to Rs. 135 per kg in open market.
Besides other items, basin, dates and drinks would be provided on priority basis on Rs. 20-30 cheaper as compared to open market as the commodity volume has also been increased from 350 items to 2000 items, he remarked.
He informed that government has decided to open 2000 more stores as about 70 percent existing outlets were providing services in rural areas, while 30 percent in urban areas.
Major General (R) Farooq said that annual turn over of the corporation has crossed Rs. 68.9 billion during the year 2010-11 while it paid Rs. 16.1 billion tax in national exchequer.
This year it is expected that the sale turn over would cross the 75 billion mark by the end of this year, he added.
Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2012
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