LAHORE: The Punjab food department has decided to extend target subsidy on flour to bring down the prices of subsidized flour significantly.
Recommendations for provision of targeted subsidy on flour were considered at a high-level departmental meeting here on Thursday chaired by Senior & Food Minister Punjab Abdul Aleem Khan. Speaking at the meeting, the minister said that in the new system, subsidized flour would be provided only to the needy people for which the data of Ehsas Programme would be used. This step would further reduce the price of flour which would also help in providing citizens more relief, hoped the minister.
Aleem Khan directed the authorities to prepare coordinated recommendations for targeted subsidy so that a final briefing could be given to Prime Minister Imran Khan on this issue. He said the bag of this scheme should be green in colour so that the subsidized flour reaches only the deserving people.
Aleem Khan said that in the new system two and a half crore people from 4 million households in Punjab province will benefit from this subsidy and they will have significant savings on the supply of this flour.
The minister clarified that changes are also being made in the procurement of wheat in the food department, keeping stock and supply of wheat with flour mills and the government may have wheat stock only for emergencies. This will save billions of rupees of the provincial government and will also promote open market for wheat like rice, Aleem added.
In the meeting, the secretary and director food gave a detailed briefing to senior minister on the new system of targeted subsidy and said that selection of flour mills would be implemented through open tendering while the district administration in collaboration with the food department will work jointly to provide subsidy to the people. Similarly, flour mills will ensure uninterrupted supply of low flour and citizens will be able to get ample subsidized flour as per their need.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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