Govt to Launch Ehsaas Ration Program for Utility Stores Customers. The Government of Pakistan has decided to launch its flagship Rs. 120 billion Ehsaas Ration Program to provide the deserving citizens with relief of up to Rs. 1,000 per month on shopping at the utility stores.
According to sources, the first phase of the mega relief program is being started in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Under the new targeted subsidy, a 20-kg bag of wheat worth Rs. 950 will cost Rs. 510, saving customers Rs. 440. Similarly, for ghee, the subsidy will be Rs. 105 per kilogram, and for pulses, it will be Rs. 55 per kilogram.
Officials of a utility store said as many as 3,700 utility stores across the country would gradually give subsidies to customers on three basic items. In the first phase, they said, 150 regional stores of Rawalpindi and Islamabad had been selected.
Govt to Launch Ehsaas Ration Program for Utility Stores Customers
A monthly subsidy of Rs. 1,000 would be given to families earning less than Rs. 50,000. So far, 19 million deserving families have been registered under the Ehsaas Ration Program.
It is estimated that the flagship program will benefit 53 percent of the country’s population.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Monday decided in principle that the government would provide flour, ghee, coking oil, pulses, rice and sugar at low prices during the next financial year.
The Prime Minister made this important decision while presiding over a meeting on issues related to Utility Store Corporation (USC) here. “The poor of the society are in dire need of relief at this time, and the government will take all necessary steps in this regard,” he said. The Prime Minister also approved the expansion of the network of utility stores in Karachi.
The meeting was informed that supply of low cost flour was being ensured at 942 utility stores in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. On the special directive of the Prime Minister, 1000 new selling points and 200 mobile stores are also being planned.
Govt to Launch Ehsaas Ration Program for Utility Stores Customers
Shahbaz Sharif asked the concerned authorities to submit a comprehensive plan to increase the number of utility stores in Karachi in two weeks.
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He directed to make the subsidy system transparent, digitize it and develop a comprehensive system by combining different types of subsidies. The Prime Minister appreciated the initiatives of utility stores in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan and also provided targeted subsidy with the help of digital system.
The meeting was informed that USC currently operates 3,822 direct and 1,380 franchises in the country. It was informed in the meeting that more than 300 new stores would be set up in Balochistan, Sindh, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Punjab by the 30th of next month.
Govt to Launch Ehsaas Ration Program for Utility Stores Customers
The meeting was informed that relief has been provided to 113 million deserving people so far under the relief package of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. They have been given subsidy of Rs 60 per kg on flour, Rs 21 per kg on sugar, Rs 250 per kg on ghee and Rs 15-20 per kg on pulses and rice.
The subsidy mechanism is digital, while the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation are linked to the data. In Balochistan, not only discounted supply of essential commodities is being ensured at utility stores but also mobile stores have been set up to ensure supply in remote areas.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif approved the formation of a task force for the rights of minorities. In a tweet on Monday, he said non-Muslim citizens are part of the national fabric. He said the agency would monitor the implementation of measures related to the rights of minorities and submit a quarterly report to them.
Govt to Launch Ehsaas Ration Program for Utility Stores Customers
National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf congratulated MNA Dr Ramesh Kumar on his appointment as Chairman of the Task Force on Minority Rights. He hoped that the task force would take concrete steps to address the issues facing minorities.
In addition, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif urged Saudi investors to come forward and invest in Pakistan, which has vast potential for investment in various sectors, including agriculture and minerals. Talking to a delegation of Saudi businessmen and investors here on Monday, he also reiterated Pakistan’s desire to enhance bilateral cooperation with Saudi Arabia in various fields, including trade and investment.
He said he had no words to thank for the warm welcome he and members of his delegation received during his last visit to Saudi Arabia. The meeting was informed that Pakistan is an emerging country in terms of investment which has many facilities for business and safe investment. The meeting was informed that investment could be made in the oil refinery industry in Gwadar where Saudi investors also showed keen interest.
It was agreed in the meeting that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia would accelerate the progress in trade and investment and in this regard the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Joint Working Group would also be activated.
Federal Ministers Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Muftah Ismail, Naveed Qamar, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Maulana Asad Mahmood, Syed Murtaza Mahmood, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi, Saudi Ambassador to Islamabad, diplomats and important personalities of the country’s business community were also present. For more update to visit the Website: Latestjobsinpakistan.net
