ISLAMABAD: Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed on Friday informed the National Assembly that the government had started the work on setting up 50,000 more utility stores aimed at ensuring provision of quality food items at controlled rates across the country.

“As per the government announcement about establishing 50,000 more utilities across the country, the work has started on it,” he said during the question-hour while responding to a query of MNA Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali.

He said under the Kamyab Jawan Programme, youth would be encouraged to implement their workable business plans so that they could be able to open their own stores.

“The government will help and finance them [youth] in starting their business.”

nswering a question, Parliamentary Secretary for Finance and Revenue Makhdoom Zain Hussain Qureshi said the Prime Minister and his economic team were regularly monitoring the price movement of common use items in consultation with provincial governments.

He said the government was taking all necessary measures to control unnecessary increase in the prices of edibles and common use items for protecting the common man from any undue inflationary pressure.

Qureshi said a monitoring cell at Ministry of National Food Security was monitoring price hikes of essential food items on daily basis.

He said the government was expanding the network of Sasta Bazaars and Utility Store outlets for provision of smooth supply of daily use items, adding effective measures were being taken to prevent cartelization and undue profit.

“National Price Monitoring Committee is regularly monitoring the prices and supply of essential items in consultation of federal ministries and provincial governments,” he added.

The parliamentary secretary said Consumer Price Index inflation had declined from 14.6 percent in January 2020 to 8.6 percent in the month of June 2020, due to pro-active policy and administrative measures of the government.