Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken a principled decision to provide subsidized petrol to motorcycle and rickshaw drivers. Free flour will be distributed to 1 million people in the federal capital Islamabad during Ramadan.
A high-level meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister on measures to protect the poor and middle class from the effects of inflation. The use of discount petrol for motorcycle and rickshaw drivers was also introduced in the meeting, and various suggestions were made in this regard. The Prime Minister directed to complete and present the program soon.
Shahbaz Sharif said that motorcycle and rickshaw drivers belong to the economically weaker section and the government is taking all possible measures to protect them from inflation.
Sources told The Express Tribune that the meeting discussed giving Rs 25 to Rs 50 per liter cheaper petrol to motorcyclists. . , there should be a plan to get the subsidy money from the employers.
In the meeting, it was suggested that the price of petrol should be increased by 300 to 325 rubles per liter for car owners and reduced by 225 to 250 rubles per liter for motorcyclists. The mechanism for providing cheap petrol is yet to be decided, but the possibility of giving prepaid cards or cash to consumers is under consideration.
The Prime Minister ordered that at least Rs 1000 per month petrol subsidy be paid to motorcyclists. Sources said the government is gambling with the IMF and its allies as the IMF cannot support the proposal and the car owners will not agree to pay the extra amount and challenge the discriminatory move in court. can go.
Prime Minister’s decision to give free flour to the poor and middle class during Ramadan in Islamabad.
The Prime Minister invited Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan to join the scheme, saying that they are trying to reduce the hardships of the poor and middle class during Ramadan. He directed that modern technology should be used to make distribution of free flour transparent.
Apart from this, a review meeting regarding the distribution of free flour under the Ramadan package was held in Lahore under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, in which a detailed review of the free flour distribution program of the Punjab government was conducted during the month of Ramadan. . Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi, Ahmed Cheema and other officials participated in the meeting.
Shahbaz Sharif said that for the first time in the country’s history, a package has been prepared to provide free flour to the poor in Ramadan, the distribution of free flour should be ensured transparently, and modern technology should be used to prevent theft. . supply of flour.
The Prime Minister said that no compromise will be allowed on the quality of free flour, their eligibility for the free flour scheme can be checked through SMS. The federal government also supports other provinces under this program. Free flour is distributed from 25th Shaban to 25th Ramadan.
He directed that distribution of flour should be done through 8500 utility stores and 20 thousand flour distribution points should be established for the benefit of the people.
In the Task Force on Agriculture review meeting, the Prime Minister has taken a major decision for the cotton farmers and has given in-principle consent to fix the price of cotton at Rs 1000 per maund. Submitted to the committee for approval. Provincial governments should ensure supply of cotton to farmers at fixed price.
He said that the federal government will provide all possible support to the provincial governments to implement the fixed support price. Government is taking priority steps to increase per acre yield of cotton. The Ministry of National Food Security should complete its work soon to formulate proposals for increasing cotton yield per acre.
The Prime Minister said that cotton is the currency-earning crop of Pakistan and the backbone of our textile industry. We provide opportunities to cotton farmers to increase their production. This will not only increase textile exports but also save valuable foreign exchange spent on cotton imports. The Prime Minister ordered the immediate implementation of these measures.
Meanwhile, a senior government official told The Express Tribune that the IMF has agreed to reduce foreign debt claims by an estimated $6 billion. Earlier this estimate was $7 billion. Pakistan claims that Saudi Arabia has donated $2 billion while the United Arab Emirates has donated $1 billion.
According to sources, the finance minister called his Qatari counterpart yesterday and requested financial support. The International Monetary Fund is reluctant to announce a staff-level agreement to bail out Pakistan without guarantees from regional countries.
