CM announces major relief in flour price

Steps also being taken to reduce sugar, ghee rates

LAHORE:

Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz on Thursday announced a record decrease in the price of flour under a relief package.

He said a 10kg flour bag would be available for Rs490 instead of Rs650 under the Chief Minister's Relief Package.

The provincial government has decided to bear around Rs200 billion annual financial burden for the provision of subsidised flour. It has procured 4.5 million tons of wheat this year.

Addressing a news conference, the chief minister said wheat was available in the international market for Rs4,000 per maund, while the government had purchased it from the farmers at Rs2,200 per maund.

He said steps were being taken to reduce the prices of sugar and ghee.

"I will visit bazaars to monitor the price control mechanism," he said and added that the sugar mills of the Sharif family had taken the lead in reducing the price.

He said the government was also trying to reduce the prices of other essential items and district price control committees had been reactivated across the province along with finalising a comprehensive price control policy.

"Genuine profit is a right of the traders but no one will be allowed to resort to profiteering," he announced.

The chief minister said his cabinet could not take oath due to alleged violation of the Constitution by the president.

He said the president had not respected the orders of the courts and there had been no example of such a violation of the Constitution in 74 years of the country's history.

He said the province with 120 million people was still deprived of a governor because of the person sitting in President's House.

He said Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi had attacked women in assembly through goons and was now showing stubbornness.

The CM asserted that the weakening of the rupee was the result of inefficiency of former prime minister Imran Khan who could not decide about approaching the IMF for six months. During his rule, the rupee fell by 40 per cent.

He said it was a serious matter that Imran had claimed that families of army personnel would take part in a march led by him.

He said the PTI chairman was not desisting from a conspiracy to defame the armed forces at a time when the country's enemies were active, political uncertainty was on the rise and the economy was teetering.

He said Imran had raised a false slogan of accountability.

The chief minister also accused the former premier of causing irreparable damage to the country's diplomatic relations with friendly countries.

Hamza Shehbaz said the purchasing power of the common people had diminished.

He said he would remain in his position as long as Allah Almighty allows it.

The CM vowed to solve the problems of the people with the help of political allies.

Hard working and honest officers are being posted on merit by the government, he claimed. He announced that patients of cancer and other diseases would be given free medicines. He challenged Imran to compete with the performance of the incumbent government.

The chief minister also announced, "We will not take revenge." He said the law would come into action against those who had attacked the Punjab Assembly.

Replying to a question, he said the previous PML-N government had left the country free of load-shedding in 2018. Power plants were not maintained during the tenure of the previous PM while favouritism was exercised, he alleged. "The only solution to crises faced by the country lies in transparent elections," he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2022.