ISLAMABAD: A meeting of the federal cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday approved a subsidy of Rs10 billion to Utility Stores Corporation for the relief of people.
Addressing a press conference, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information, Firdous Ashiq Awan said that the Rs 10 billion subsidies were given to utility stores over the next five months and will be distributed at two billion rupees per month.
She said that the package was aimed to bring down prices of wheat, sugar, rice, and oil. Firdous Awan said that a 20-kilogram bag of flour would now be available for Rs800, whereas sugar and oil would be sold at Rs70 and Rs175 a kilo respectively.
She said that the government will also keep a check on the prices of essential edible items. The Special Assistant said that the export of sugar has been banned and a strategy is being devised to remove regulatory duty on this commodity.
The federal cabinet approved to lift the ban on the import of sugar to ensure the supply of this commodity. She said the export of sugar has been banned and a strategy is being devised to remove regulatory duty on this commodity.
Awab said 4.3 million women are being given two thousand rupees monthly under Ehsaas program. The number will reach by seventy million by end of this year.
The Special Assistant said the prime minister has directed his team to devise a mechanism to reduce the prices of gas and electricity in phase-wise manner to reduce the burden of inflation on people.
She said that under the Ehsaas Fee Support Program, the government will provide 750 rupees for male students and 1000 rupees per female students. The Ehsass Nutrition program will be launched next month under which 20,000 women will benefit and it will be further expanded in the future.
The SAPM said that the health advisor briefed the meeting about government initiatives in preventing Coronavirus. She said that the cabinet also directed to prepare a comprehensive strategy to control the prices of electricity and gas along with the causes of rising prices which ill also be shared with the media and general public.
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