The caretaker government has announced that in order to solve the crisis of flour, the system of ration cards will be introduced. The government feels that the ration-card system would provide, at subsidised rates, the essential food items to the poor, which form over forty-five percent of the Pakistan's total population.
These ration cards would enable the needy to purchase food items such as wheat, flour, sugar, pulses, ghee, etc from the state-owned utility stores at prices lower than the market rates.
The step taken by the government to ease the problem of the poor and vulnerable is laudable, but the million dollar question is, will it remedy the miseries of the poor and middle class individuals? I don't think it would help the poor to overcome this acute unavailability of food essentials.
Unfortunately, the previous experience of this ration-card system, which was abandoned about twenty years ago, had been proved most deplorable and pessimistic because of its past history had been very murky and dismal.
The subsidized sugar and flour in that period according to the study carried out in that period reflects that about eighty percent of the total amount of subsidy was swallowed by the mafia of rationing personnel and only twenty percent of the subsidy could benefit the deserving people.
Even, at present, the utility stores are not performing the duty for which these stores are established. A leading daily carried the news on January 25th 2008, about the functioning of these stores: "The district council of Sanghar has rejected the proposal of the ration-card scheme arguing that it would open the gates of corruption. Only the influential and the 'haves' would be able to get the cards leaving the poor high and dry.
They accused the staff of the Utility Stores Corporation of black-marketing the subsidised items meant for the poor and low income section of society. They complained that the stores did not follow the scheduled timing and often opened late in the day. Most of the commodities were sold during the night and shifted to godowns."
This is the present sad picture of the working of these utility stores in a far-off place like Sanghar. Surprisingly, the situation in Karachi, Lahore and other cities is also not encouraging either. The poor and needy of Karachi had complained that the staff of the stores had made mandatory for the consumers to buy some other items also if they wanted to purchase flour and sugar. Besides, long queues outside the utility stores present a miserable picture of our poor people.
People of all ages have to wait from dawn till dusk just to obtain a bag of flour. They have to wait under the inclement weather in the endless queue that grows longer and longer every hour in the hope that very soon they would be able to get their prized bag of flour. Why are these long queues? Because these stores are limited and are situated at distant places where the contact of the poor is not only hazardous and expensive, but also time consuming. What is the solution?
In my opinion, the solution lies with the political parties which are at the moment busy in electioneering without realising that, if this pathetic plight of flour shortage persists unabatedly, people will not be willing to cast their votes because with an empty belly the poor will not come forward to cast the vote.
Political leaders should realise that "Atta" is basic to the meals in our life-style. It is a daily requirement and its unavailability and un-affordability can cause chaos in a person's life.
As one disgusted and weary common man said: "There is nothing in our lives that has not become a crisis. I do not know what we are supposed to do." These are the sentiments of low-income people and if, unfortunately, this trend persists among the public, I am afraid, a day is not far off, when some untoward upheaval, God forbid, may pop-up, which would engulf the entire country.
Our political elite is living in a fool's paradise. They do not know where our beloved country is heading. Nawaz Sharif says that he has come from Saudi Arabia to save Pakistan. How naïve is he? If Pakistan is not saved from starvation, where the common man is galloping on account of the flour crisis, where will Pakistan be?
I would advise all political parties and their heads that they should immediately attend to this scourge of flour shortage and adopt the following measures. Instead of depending on the government or Rangers or ration cards, they should open ration stores in each "Mohalla", where their party is strong and their party's officials are managing the affairs of the local bodies.
Therefore, parties such as MQM, which is strong in the urban areas and PPP which is dominant in rual areas of Sindh, should open stores of flour, sugar and oil immediately in each and every "Mohallah" and obtain the bags of flour etc at subsidised rates from the mills and start distributing eatables to the residents of that "Mohallah". Details of "have-nots" are known to the Nazim, Naib Nazim, and all tiers of the local government and as such there would not be any confusion in recognising the deserving people.
If proper shops and buildings are not available for these stores, then the local bodies' officials can install temporary tents or camps in Mohallahs to start the distribution of flour etc.
This system would be free from the red-tape and long-drawn bureaucratic hurdles and the needs of the people would be solved without any delay. Moreover, this system of ration stores would provide job opportunities to thousands of youths, who are at present waiting for employment.
In Punjab and NWFP, the Muslim League (N) and (Q) and PPP are popular among the poor. The leaders of these parties can play an effective role in establishing the above proposed system for the eradication of shortage of essential items of food; and, thus, this crisis would not only be handled successfully but it would also alleviate the rising menace of poverty and also eliminate acute problem of unemployment. The poor, thus, would also be free from the clutches of greedy mill owners as well as avaricious middle-men.
To run these stores, large number of staff would not be required. One man can manage it without any difficulty. In some cases, more than one individual may be required. The total number of required stores, "Mohallawise", across the country would be about one million. It means that about one million persons would be employed for running these stores in all provinces of Pakistan.
Some people may apprehend that the political elite is not above board and in the long run the proposed idea would also meet the same fate that is being suffered by utility stores. No doubt, the present situation is not bright as our entire society is corrupt and depraved but a beginning has to be made somewhere to solve the thorny issues providing some relief to our afflicted and starving common man.
My idea does not involve a lot of infrastructure or finance to implement it. Issuance of ration cards will go through the rigmarole of bureaucracy's red-tape, which would not only demand large amount of finances and man power, but also a lot of time that would enhance the misery of the already afflicted low-income group.
My proposal, if adopted, would mean immediate relief for all those who are affected. Besides, more stores mean more job opportunities; more jobs mean more prosperity, more prosperity means better law and order, better law and order means peace, more peace means more progress, and more progress means more respect among the community of nations.
Imagine it would revolutionise the existing unemployment conundrum. Let all political parties come forward and organise this proposed scheme without any delay to convince the electorate that they are the real well-wishers of the electorate. Very rarely such golden opportunities knock at the doors of the would-be-elected people.