Ramazan relief: Utility Stores to announce package this week

Economic Coordination Committee to give approval today.

ISLAMABAD:

The Utility Stores Corporation (USC) is all set to announce the Ramazan Relief Package this week which aims at providing various basic edible items at subsidised rates while reducing rates on other items during the holy month.

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet would formally approve the package prepared by the USC management during its meeting scheduled on Wednesday, sources in the Ministry of Industries and Production told APP here on Tuesday. The package is likely to be announced on Thursday.

The ECC during its meeting in the last week of June had approved Rs2 billion Ramazan Relief Package, envisaging subsidy on essential food items to the people during the holy month. Food items including flour, ghee, oil, gram pulse would be provided at subsidised rates while chick peas, gram flour and dates would be available at reduced prices at the outlets of USC throughout the country.

The relief package would be implemented on the advent of the holy month and would be effective till Eidul-Fitr. The USC management has prepared a comprehensive summary of the products that would be available on subsidised or reduced rates, sources said.

It is pertinent to mention here that last year the government had announced Rs4 billion Ramazan Relief Package that included a Rs2 billion subsidy on various edible commodities, Rs1 billion subsidy on sugar and Rs1 billion relief by providing about 1,000 commodities on discounted rates.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2011.