LAHORE: The Punjab Food Department has decided to form committees at town level in the province to ensure a strict monitoring of wheat availability, its transportation and flour prices in their respective areas. Decision to this effect was taken at a meeting chaired by Senior & Food Minister Punjab Abdul Aleem Khan in the chair here on Tuesday.
The meeting was participated by the district coordinators appointed by the government and it decided that monitoring of wheat and flour will be ensured in each district and immediate action will be taken to identify shortage, if anywhere. Similarly, the district coordinators will also bring complaints of hoarding and overcharging of their district and ensure supply of flour at fixed rates in each area to the citizens.
The Minister said that a mechanism was devised for the release of government wheat in Punjab in consultation with flour mills and now deliberations are also being held on sugar regulatory policy. Aleem told the meeting that new system of subsidy will be introduced in Punjab in which targeted subsidy will be provided and work has already been started in the food department in this regard.
He claimed that 90-95% of the consumers are getting 20 kg bag of flour at fixed rates of Rs 860 in Punjab. However, Chakkis and fine flour do not fall in this mechanism and their products are used by only 5% of the masses. He asked the district coordinators to accelerate their activities and ensure effective monitoring of wheat and flour for the convenience of citizens in their respective districts and play an active role in this regard.
In the meeting, Provincial Minister Mian Khalid Mahmood presented various suggestions regarding working of coordinators at district and tehsil level. Apart from Parliamentary Secretary for Food Department Rai Zahoor Ahmed, district coordinators from Lahore, Multan, Sialkot, Sheikhupura, Rahim Yar Khan, Narowal and 25 districts including Sargodha, Gujarat and Kasur attended the meeting and made recommendations to Senior Minister Abdul Aleem Khan on various issues. The meeting also decided to liaise among all the participants and form a whatsapp group also.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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