ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Tuesday decided to carry out investigation into wheat smuggling. It also decided to ensure transparency with a view to maintaining flour prices at a lower level.

In a post-cabinet briefing, Information Minister Senator Shibli Faraz said the government expressed its concern over the rise in flour prices in the country, and directed the Punjab government to release 900,000 tonnes of wheat to flour mills of the province over the next two months at a price proposed by the provincial government to help stabilise prices.

He said that efforts were also under way to take action against wheat smuggling to maintain flour prices at lower levels.

Faraz said the cabinet also discussed a mechanism to set sugar prices, and it was decided that they would be determined after taking inputs on expenditure incurred by sugarcane growers.

"A system to determine sugar prices will be improved within the next three months," he said, adding that it would also improve sugar pricing and inject transparency into the matter.

Faraz said the cabinet had welcomed the verdict of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on the sugar inquiry case, and reiterated the government's resolve to bring the perpetrators who made undue profit from the people to task.

The cabinet decided that recommendations of the committee on actions be carried out within the stipulated timeline, he added. The minister said, "This step, will bring improvement and transparency in the whole value chain of sugar production." He said the process of determining the prices of sugar would become visible in the next three months.

"This will result in provision of the commodity to people at reasonable rates," the minister said. The cabinet expressed concern on rising price of flour, and it endorsed the instruction of the prime minister to rectify the situation. A committee under Advisor to the Prime Minister Hafeez Shaikh will monitor and supervise the situation to streamline the process and make it transparent. Senator Shibli Faraz said the prime minister directed to determine the demand and supply of flour on a scientific basis.

He said 27 million tons of flour was our requirement against the availability of 25 million tons.

Faraz said the Punjab government had been directed to release 900,000 tons of wheat from its stores to help overcome the shortage of commodity.

He said steps were being taken to stop smuggling of wheat as well as injecting transparency into its availability.

The minister said the federal cabinet discussed and appreciated the performance of the Ministry of Education for introducing a uniform curriculum in the country.

The cabinet discussed the use of online education by utilising modern technologies in the post-Covid environment.

The prime minister underscored the need for making this facility available in far-flung areas of the country, especially Balochistan.

The minister said the prime minister is determined to improve the health system in the country.

Planning Minister Asad Umar and Special Assistant on Health Dr Zafar Mirza gave a detailed briefing to the meeting on prevalent the Covid-19 situation.

Senator Shibli Faraz said in a short span of time, the number of laboratories in the country for corona testing has reached 129 from two.

He said the testing capacity had increased to 50,000 tests daily from initial 472 per day.

The minister said 770 hospitals in the country have been catering to the needs of coronavirus patients.

He said the number of oxygenated beds available in the country have been 8,886, of which 2,671 are occupied.

He said 2,150 more beds would be available by next month.

He said the prime minister's vision from the beginning was to run the economy as well as protecting the lives of the people.

Senator Shibli Faraz said India and Brazil both suffered immensely due to their "extreme" strategies to counter the disease.

He said the government adopted the best strategy keeping in view the ground realities to tackle the situation arising out of coronavirus.

He said the meeting gave approval to construction of a teaching hospital in Islamabad.

The cabinet also deliberated on optimum use of the properties of the Evacuee Trust Property Board.