Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif presiding over a high-level meeting regarding Ramazan Package on May 18, 2014. PHOTO: NNI
All model bazaars, Sahulat bazaars, and Friday and Sunday bazaars would be converted into Ramazan bazaars, where many items, including wheat flour, would be available at subsidised rates, he added.
“In these bazaars, as many as 334 fair price shops will also be established where daily-use items will be available at wholesale prices. Utility Stores will also have stalls at these bazaars,” he said.
The chief minister said that effective monitoring of Ramazan bazaars would be ensured for easy availability of quality items at subsidised rates. “This monitoring will be done by provincial ministers, elected representatives, secretaries, commissioners as well as district coordination officers, who will regularly visit to the bazaars.”
Nine provincial ministers and MPAs of nine divisions will monitor the bazaars on a permanent basis. “The provincial cabinet committee can use my aircraft and helicopter for visiting far-flung areas,” he offered.
He said political and administrative machinery would also play an active role for ensuring adequate supply of quality daily-use items so that people could fully benefit from Ramazan Package.
The chief minister also directed that full cooperation be extended to Madani Dastarkhwan (community meals) to be set up with the help of philanthropists for arranging free Sehri and Iftari to people. Around 2,000 such Dastarkhwans will be established across the province.
Shahbaz directed that a survey of cold storages be conducted in the province and details of the stored items be collected. He also issued instructions for formulating Cold Storage Act. He directed officials to coordinate with Utility Stores so that people could fully benefit from the Ramazan Package announced by federal and Punjab government.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 19th, 2014.
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This is an excellent example and other provincial governments must follow suit to provide relief to the masses. It is the time to deliver on promises to provide relief to the masses rather than rotting dhandli dhandli day & night.
How long these dramas will continue with us? You are serving Punjab for last 35 years? What has change except you spend money on Lahore? Where are the hospitals, schools? These people are master in making people fool & presenting show only?
sthat 5 bln package is relief from government to the people or from people to government?....
If provincial ministers, elected representatives, secretaries, commissioners as well as district coordination officers, spend their time in bazaars, doing God knows what, who is going fulfill their administrative duties? Or do they not have any? What should we expect?
Since most people will be fasting, correct me if I'm wrong, they won't be having lunch. Then why is it that every year, prices are jacked up. Can the government not control the mafia from price manipulation? Why do we need a 'package' to subsidize food in the month where people are supposed to not eat as much. Boggles my mind
A broken province, like others. If it were showering with good governance, there were no need to announce half baked measures in the guise of ramazan package. Sharif Family ruled this province for more than 15 years since 1985.