Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has said that there are additional reserves of wheat in the province and flour millers are free to purchase the commodity as much as they need, under the open policy of the government.
The government is providing Rs 4 billion ie, at Rs 51 per mound subsidy in connection with acquiring wheat from the farmers and supply to flour millers to ensure proper price of their produce to farmers and provide flour at subsidised rate to people of the province.
Chairing a high-level meeting regarding the wheat policy and supply of flour at cheaper rate here on Sunday, he said the government was also bearing Rs 2 billion in terms of subsidy on provision of sugar, pulses and other essential items to people. Provincial Food Minister Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal, Secretary Food Ahsan Raja, Director Food Irfan Elahi and other senior officials were also present.
The chief minister said that this year the government had purchased over 2.5 million tonnes of wheat from the farmers as against the target of 2 million tonnes. He said the government policy to purchase every grain from the farmers and ensure them proper price of their produce had brought very positive impact on the agriculture economy.
People-friendly policies of the government will provide relief to all segments of society, he claimed. He said the government was providing Rs 6 billion subsidy on purchase of wheat and the package for provision of cheaper flour and other essential items to people would bring down the rate of poverty in the province.
Under the government programme of providing flour, pulses and sugar at subsidised prices, people will be paying Rs 10 per kg less than the market price for these commodities, the chief minister pointed out.
The government, he added, was already providing flour in the province at cheaper rate and now this programme was being further extended. He said that DCOs would be responsible for ensuring supply of essential items to people on the government's subsidised rates.
Speaking on the occasion, Food Minister Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal said that 'Sasta ration scheme' was an important programme to provide relief to the common man in the province. The government had made foolproof arrangements to ensure transparency in the scheme, he added.
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