ISLAMABAD: The Utility Store Corporation (USC) is all set to launch Rs 7.5 billion Prime Minister’s Ramazan Relief Package 2024 on Tuesday (March 5). The prime minister had announced a special subsidy of Rs 7.5 billion to provide edible items to the people subsidized prices during the holy month of Ramazan, a USC spokesman said.
Under the package, he said, the USC would give subsidy on 19 basic food items, including flour, ghee, edible oil, sugar, pulse gram, white gram, besan, dates, rice, tea, spices, milk and beverages. The spokesman said the USC would ensure abundant availability of all food items at its outlets to meet the needs of the public during the holy month.
Only the poor families comprising around 200 million people registered with the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) under the PMT-60 category instead of PMT-40 would be able to benefit from the targeted subsidy, he added.
The BISP beneficiaries would get a 10 kilogram flour bag for Rs 648, ghee Rs 365 per kg and sugar for Rs109 per kg, while the subsidy of Rs 25 per litre would be given on edible oil, the spokesman said. Similarly, he said, the subsidy of Rs 25 per kg on pulse gram and white gram, Rs 50 per kg on gram flour (besan) and dates, Rs 25 per kg on Basmati rice, Silah rice and broken rice, Rs 100 on tea (800 grams), and Rs 30 per liter on packed milk.
Spices and beverages would also be available at cheaper prices, he added. The USC, he said, would provide total 20 kg flour, 5 kg each of sugar and ghee, and 3 kg each of rice, pulses, and cooking oil to the families registered with the BISP, while there would be no limit for the purchase of other food items.
The spokesman advised the deserving individuals not registered under the BISP to immediately contact the Programme’s regional offices or designated Utility Stores so that they could avail the package. He said in addition to the BISP, the USC had also arranged special discounts with its vendors and suppliers for general consumers. A special discount of up to 15 percent would be given on more than 1000 items, whose lists would be displayed at USC outlets, he added.
During the holy month, all outlets across the country would remain open as usual to serve the general public, he added. He said a monitoring cell had been set up at the USC head-office to address the public complaints about the package.
For transparency in the package, vigilance teams had been deployed all over Pakistan, he added. The spokesman said the USC management and workers were engaged in serving the people. The consumers could lodge their complaints, if any, at helpline number (0800-05590).
