ISLAMABAD: Former finance secretary Dr Waqar Masood Khan has assumed the charge of 'subsidies cell' established recently by the government to provide subsidies to the most deserving people in a targeted and transparent manner.

An official, on condition of anonymity, said that of course, it would be a challenging assignment for the former finance secretary, who is well aware that with each subsidy, some vested interests are attached that would create problems for him when their interests would be affected.

He said that making subsidies targeted would not be a smooth course as the prime minister wanted, whose major concerns were leakages in the subsidies as well as that these were also being benefited by some undeserving people, and this practice must stop now as it costs the exchequer dearly.

Masood assumed the charge of the office on Wednesday, according to official, and began the exercise to trace every subsidy being provided by the government to various sectors, and how these could be ensured to make available to the people that needed them the most.

The official said that the government believes that some subsides such as subsidy on agriculture are being benefited both by the rich and the poor, and some kind of mechanism must be developed to ensure that it reaches the poor farmers only, rather than everyone who own agriculture tube well.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020