LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Industries & Trade Mian Aslam Iqbal chaired a meeting at Civil Secretariat here on Thursday to review the plan to provide relief to people living below the poverty line.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had issued directions for undertaking steps to prevent increase in the prices of essential items and giving concrete shape to targeted subsidy programme.

The first meeting of the committee constituted for the purpose discussed different proposals. A food voucher schemes, issuance of ration cards, setting up of additional fair price shops on the pattern of agriculture fair price shops and other different models and proposals were also reviewed in detail.

Punjab Minister for Agriculture Nauman Akhtar Langrial, secretaries of departments concerned and senior officers also participated in the meeting.

Provincial Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal, while addressing the participants in the meeting, said that the programme for provision of relief to people from the poorest segment of society would be formulated and given final shape in the upcoming two days. Such people would be provided targeted subsidy under the programme who had been deprived of any support or other financial assistance, he added.

The minister said that 'Sasti Roti' programme was based on plunder, under which the poor people were being exploited. The incumbent government has introducing such programmes through which common man would get benefit in a real sense, he added.

He said that people were getting quality items on discounted prices in 32 model bazaars and Sunday bazaars across the province. He said that self-created inflation had increased sufferings of the poor people and strict action would be taken against those found involved in creating artificial price-hike.