Punjab government’s scheme to provide free flour to deserving people appears to be struggling to deliver, with women and senior citizens forced to stand in queues all day to get 10 kg of flour.
There have been reports of some women fainting. On the other hand, the officials of Food Department Punjab have reduced the quota of wheat by 65% for flour mills across Faisalabad district. While the price of wheat has been increased by 1600 rupees per maund, as a result of which the price of a 10 kg bag of flour has increased by 510 rupees and has become beyond the reach of the common man.
A plan was created by the Punjab government to distribute 3 bags of 10 kg flour to the deserving people for free during the month of Ramadan, on which the distribution of free flour to the deserving people has been started for the last three days, but the Punjab government’s program to distribute free flour to the beneficiaries has failed. Women and senior citizens have been standing in long queues since morning at the centers set up to get 10 kg bags of flour, while some women fainted due to the shock, while reports of the death of an elderly person were also received, police and district officials have denied reports that no one has died at the flour distribution centers.
On the one hand, free flour is being distributed to the beneficiaries; while on the other hand, the Punjab Food Department has reduced the wheat quota from 17,500 sacks to 5,000 sacks for the flour mills of Faisalabad district, while Punjab Food Department was buying wheat at Rs2200 per maund and giving it to flour mills at Rs2300 per maund, but now the government wheat rate has been increased from Rs2300 to Rs3900 Due to which a 10 kg bag of flour will be sold at Rs1158 from Rs 648, which will further suppress the common man who is worried about inflation.
According to the sources, the wheat quota issued by the flour mills of Faisalabad has been reduced from 17500 sacks to 5000 sacks per day. Thus, 135,000 bags of flour were prepared from 17,500 sacks of wheat on a daily basis, but now only 35,000 bags of flour can be produced from 5,000 sacks of wheat. In this situation, there will be a sharp difference in the ratio of demand and supply, due to which the price of a bag of flour for the common man will increase on the one hand, and on the other hand, there are clear fears of flour crisis.
In this regard, Chairman of Flour Mills Association Chaudhry Muhammad Shafiq Anjum said that as an association, he had suggested to the Punjab government that the price of 3 bags of 10 kg can be deposited in the account of the registered beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), while the trucking system was already functioning successfully and all the people could buy cheap flour at the already established trucking points, the government completely ignored the proposal.
He further said that free flour is being distributed to the registered people of Benazir Income Support Program and money is allocated in advance in the annual budget for all these beneficiaries while international donor agencies from foreign countries also provide funding for it. So then where is the subsidy announced by the government while the government is making a fuss about giving subsidy on flour which is wrong?
Chairman Flour Mills Association Chaudhry Muhammad Shafiq further said that the scheme of providing free flour is bringing disrepute to the government. It is better to restore the old scheme, He said that it was suggested to the government that even if the price of a 10 kg bag of flour is reduced to Rs. 648 and subsidized by Rs100, then all the people can benefit from it. But even this proposal was not considered by the government.
On the other hand, Commissioner Salwat Saeed reached the field to monitor the process of supplying flour under Ramadan special package and she visited Iqbal Stadium, Kaleem Shaheed Park and other distribution points along with Deputy Commissioner Ali Annan Qamar, and checked the duties of the relevant officers and staff. She also reviewed the process of scanning and providing data of National Identity Cards of registered persons and also inspected the counter set up for verification of eligible persons with chipless cards. The commissioner checked the seating arrangements for men and women, checked the attendance of the officials on security duty and checked the availability of drinking water. On this occasion, she said that all the arrangements at the distribution centers are being monitored from time to time.
She further said that the duty officers have been ordered to be present at the centers and monitor all the processes. All the machinery of divisional and district administration is active, the commissioner clarified that ensuring the supply of flour to the registered people of Benazir Income Support Program.
