Provincial Environmental Protection Minister Mohammad Rizwan has said that the Punjab government will ensure protection of farmers and the flour mills will not be allowed to purchase wheat over quota system.

The minister announced this decision during his visit to different flour mills in Mangwal area of Gujrat on Sunday. He was accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Gujrat Dr Khurram Shahzad.

"We will ensure protection of farmers at any cost and no one will be allowed to store wheat and the flour mills will not be allowed to purchase wheat over quota system as well," the minister stated. He also interacted with the farmers at a wheat center and inquired about the facilities and expressed satisfaction over the steps taken by the district administration.

Earlier in the day, Rizwan chaired a meeting in DC office with ADC Revenue Dr Rani Hafsa Kanwal, AC Kharian Faisal Abbas Mangat and DFC Masood Ahmed.

Dr Khurram informed the minister that assistance programme of the government for deserving families in Gujarat is continued. Under the scheme, the DC claimed that Rs 2.3 billion has been distributed among 18,638 deserving families through 14 centers.

The deputy commissioner further said that due to security arrangements in all the centers in the district, the procedure of distribution will be completed soon under phase-one. He added that five centers have been set up for the wheat procurement in Gujarat and more than 400 applications have been received in this regard. The minister asked the DC to ensure provision of all basic facilities at the wheat procurement centers and appreciated the steps taken to prevent the coronavirus.