LAHORE: The Federal government has refused to grant permission to the Punjab government to import wheat. Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi expressed deep concern over the refusal of the Federal government to grant permission to the Punjab government to import wheat.
CM said that Sindh and other provinces have been provided wheat being imported by the federal government. The federal government imported wheat earlier also but did not give share to Punjab and now the Punjab government sought permission to import 1 million metric tonne wheat on self-payment basis.
The Punjab government by taking into consideration public needs sought permission to import wheat according to the constitutional and legal way but the federal government refused to grant permission.
He said that the attitude of the federal government about the people of Punjab is not only regrettable but condemnable as well adding that Shehbaz Sharif is conspiring to take revenge from the people of Punjab owing to turning out PML-N from Punjab and a nefarious attempt is being made to create wheat scarcity in Punjab.
He revealed that 16,000 metric tonne wheat is still being provided to Islamabad from Punjab. He stated that the stock of wheat is comparatively less in Punjab during the current year due to various reasons adding that the import of wheat in Punjab has become inevitable due to the flood affectees and other reasons.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi presided over a high-level meeting at CMO in which the available stock of wheat and other matters came under review.
Matters pertaining to urea, phosphate, seeds of wheat and subsidy on the wheat being imported came under discussion.
CM also directed to formulate a better and a practical modus operandi for giving a subsidy. Provincial Agriculture Minister Syed Hussain Jahania Gardezi, Provincial Food Minister Sardar Hasnain Bahadar Dreshak, former Federal Minister Moonis Elahi, Chief Secretary, Secretary Finance, Secretary Agriculture, Secretary Food, Director Food and concerned officials attended the meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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