Utility Stores relief
The hunger situation in India has worsened since 2014 when the Modi government came into power.
Realising the importance of keeping food prices within reach of all segments of the population, the Imran Khan government announced subsidy on daily-use items at utility stores in January. Since then, sales at the utility stores outlets have increased by a phenomenal 600%. As this has also brought prices down in the open market, the strategy has had a two-pronged effect. Even detractors of the government can’t help praise this pro-people strategy.
The availability of essentials, especially foodstuffs, at lower prices at utility stores has brought relief to the common people who were highly perturbed by the rising prices. Many commodities that have gone beyond the reach of people with low and modest income have become affordable for these people. There is a marked difference between prices at the utility stores and those in the open market. There is a difference of Rs40 on one kilo in ghee price, Rs32 on a litre of cooking oil, Rs20 on one kilo rice, Rs14 on broken rice, Rs25 on white gram, Rs13 on gram pulse and nearly Rs15 on Masoor pulse. Wheat flour, sugar and other kinds of pulses are also available at utility stores at lower prices.
Most people preferred to buy their monthly groceries from utility stores in February because of the lower prices. Consumers with modest incomes say they spent around Rs6,000 on grocery items in January. In February, they bought the same number of items for around Rs5,200 from utility store outlets, making a saving of Rs800. There are 5,939 utility store outlets across Pakistan benefiting hundreds of thousands of low-income people in these times of high taxes and galloping inflation. Pakistan ranks 94 out of 117 countries on the Global Hunger Index 2019, eight places ahead of India. Bangladesh is at 88th place and Sri Lanka at 66th. The hunger situation in India has worsened since 2014 when the Modi government came into power.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 5th, 2020.
The availability of essentials, especially foodstuffs, at lower prices at utility stores has brought relief to the common people who were highly perturbed by the rising prices. Many commodities that have gone beyond the reach of people with low and modest income have become affordable for these people. There is a marked difference between prices at the utility stores and those in the open market. There is a difference of Rs40 on one kilo in ghee price, Rs32 on a litre of cooking oil, Rs20 on one kilo rice, Rs14 on broken rice, Rs25 on white gram, Rs13 on gram pulse and nearly Rs15 on Masoor pulse. Wheat flour, sugar and other kinds of pulses are also available at utility stores at lower prices.
Most people preferred to buy their monthly groceries from utility stores in February because of the lower prices. Consumers with modest incomes say they spent around Rs6,000 on grocery items in January. In February, they bought the same number of items for around Rs5,200 from utility store outlets, making a saving of Rs800. There are 5,939 utility store outlets across Pakistan benefiting hundreds of thousands of low-income people in these times of high taxes and galloping inflation. Pakistan ranks 94 out of 117 countries on the Global Hunger Index 2019, eight places ahead of India. Bangladesh is at 88th place and Sri Lanka at 66th. The hunger situation in India has worsened since 2014 when the Modi government came into power.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 5th, 2020.