Sindh Govt. to provide 7.8 m families flour at discounted rates during the month of Ramadan

Karachi :  The Sindh government has decided to provide 7.8 million families flour at subsidies rates in order to provide maximum relief in the storm of inflation in the month of Ramadan.

This relief will be extended to families having 50000 or less monthly income.under the initiative Rs. 2000 per family will be given for one month. Provincial Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon along with Adviser law Barrister Murtaza Wahab said this while holding a media briefing on Sindh cabinet decisions in the Sindh Assembly Committee Room on Tuesday.

The minister said that it has been decided to extend this relief to the beneficiaries through BISP and Habib Bank.Citizens can verify their eligibility by entering their National Identity Card number on 8171, if anyone thinks they are eligible and their name is not included in the data, they can visit the nearest BISP center to register themselves. He said that their name will be included in the data in 24 hours.

He said that at present there are 7.8 million families in the data of BISP having 50000 or less monthly income but if it becomes 10 million, the Sindh government is committed to provide them relief. ‘ This is a revolutionary initiative of the Sindh government in the month of Ramadan, on which Rs. 15.5 billion subsidy will be given.

The provincial minister said that the Sindh Cabinet has also decided to enforce an ordinance today to discourage hoarding and profiteering, which is being sent to the Governor of Sindh under which powers of magistrates are being assigned to food department officers and other relevant Officers.

He said that ordinance included the Powers of arrest, confiscate goods as well as auction the confiscated goods . He added that amount of fine for profiteering and selling goods above official rates is also being enhanced. He said that earlier only Assistant Commissioners had powers, the Sindh government has also issued a notification to confer powers to the Officers of Bureau of Supply and Prices as well. He said that the shops of those selling goods at rates higher than the official rates will be sealed and a fine of up to 1 million rupees will be imposed.

He said that currently the amount of fine is less, that’s why profiteers easily pay give a fine of 10 thousand as they earn more. He said that not only fine will be imposed, but their goods will also be confiscated and auctioned. He said that the Sindh Cabinet has also decided to set up bachat bazaars at the tehsil level in the whole of Sindh, the arrangements of which will be done by the district administration, while the provincial ministers, advisers and special assistants, MNAs and MPAs will monitor them to ensure the provision of relief to the people. He said that opposition MPAs and MNAs should also take ownership of it. Sharjeel Inam Memon said that it is the government’s priority to implement all these measures. He said that the Sindh government is increasing the number of magistrates. The media should also become a partner of the Sindh government and point out profiteering and hoarding. He said that the chief minister of Sindh has given the task to the chief secretary of Sindh and within in couple of days, the process of transferring funds under subsidies flour package from BISP to the people will begin.

Sharjeel Inam Memon said that the Sindh Cabinet has also expressed serious reservations about the digital census process. He said that the Sindh government is not satisfied with the measures taken by the federal government till now. If our reservations are not removed, the census will become controversial. He said that the members of the Sindh cabinet raised this matter in today’s meeting with great vigor, on which the Chief Minister of Sindh said that he has already raised this matter with the Prime Minister and on various forums with the federal government . He said that Chief Minister will again to raise the issue with prime minister and inform him about the concerns of the Sindh Cabinet tomorrow.

Sharjeel Inam Memon said that great injustice had been done to Sindh in the previous census as well, which was not accepted by the Sindh government. He said that Sindh is not satisfied with the process of digital census going on till date. He opined that the federal government should remove the reservations of Sindh so as to avoid the atmosphere of mistrust . He said that Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has also clearly expressed his concerns on the census.

In response to a question, provincial minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that the Sindh government will provide relief to the people in all circumstances, the decisions of the Sindh cabinet will be strictly implemented. He said that today’s meeting of the Sindh Cabinet included the agenda of revision of the fares of the People’s Bus Service, however, the Cabinet members and the Chief Minister of Sindh decided to deffer it till the end of Ramadan so that maximum relief should be provided in this storm of inflation to common man. On the question of local bodies elections in Karachi, Advisor law Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has not given him any instructions regarding the local bodies by-elections. He said that chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had insisted that election commission should hold the elections of mayers and chairmen as councils has been completed in whole province.

In this regard, the by-elections should not be waited for, So that the powers can be transferred and the elected local bodies representatives can solve the problems of the people. He said that the Advocate General Sindh has been instructed and petition would soon be filed on this matter. Replaying to another question, he said that those days are gone, now there is no thunder squad in Karachi, decisions will be based on the majority, it is the principle of democracy.

He said that according to the ground realities so far, despite all the conspiracies, the Pakistan People’s Party has the majority . In Karachi and infact in the whole province , Pakistan People’s Party remained the winner.