The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has attempted to systemize the purchase and supply of wheat to the province and allocated Rs15 billion in the current budget for subsidizing wheat flour.
This was revealed during a meeting of the food department held with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan in the chair, said an official handout issued on Friday.
Provincial Minister for Food Atif Khan, Special Assistant to CM on Information Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, Principal Secretary to CM Amjad Ali Khan, Secretary Food Mushtaq Ahmad, Secretary Information Technology Matiullah Khan, and other officials concerned attended the meeting.
The meeting discussed and reviewed the department’s overall performance with particular focus on the matters related to wheat subsidy and a strategy to meet the wheat requirements of the province.
The forum also discussed other reform initiatives, including digitalization, to ensure transparency in the overall affairs of the department.
Briefing the meeting about the wheat requirements of the province, the forum was informed that 4.5 million metric tons of wheat were needed annually. The province produces only 25 percent of its total requirement, while the rest is purchased from the government of Punjab and Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation.
Speaking on occasion, the Chief Minister said that his government’s priority was giving maximum relief to the people. He said that multiple relief initiatives were underway in this regard.
He said that the provincial government was giving several considerations to relieve deserving households on essential food items in the upcoming budget.
