LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Sunday announced Rs5 billion Ramazan Package for the holy month. Presiding over a high-level meeting, the chief minister said the Ramazan Package was aimed at providing maximum relief to people through 360 Ramazan bazaars to be set up across the province.
All model bazaars, Sahulat bazaars, and Friday and Sunday bazaars would be converted into Ramazan bazaars, where many items, including wheat flour, would be available at subsidised rates, he added.
“In these bazaars, as many as 334 fair price shops will also be established where daily-use items will be available at wholesale prices. Utility Stores will also have stalls at these bazaars,” he said.
The chief minister said that effective monitoring of Ramazan bazaars would be ensured for easy availability of quality items at subsidised rates. “This monitoring will be done by provincial ministers, elected representatives, secretaries, commissioners as well as district coordination officers, who will regularly visit to the bazaars.”
Nine provincial ministers and MPAs of nine divisions will monitor the bazaars on a permanent basis. “The provincial cabinet committee can use my aircraft and helicopter for visiting far-flung areas,” he offered.
He said political and administrative machinery would also play an active role for ensuring adequate supply of quality daily-use items so that people could fully benefit from Ramazan Package.
The chief minister also directed that full cooperation be extended to Madani Dastarkhwan (community meals) to be set up with the help of philanthropists for arranging free Sehri and Iftari to people. Around 2,000 such Dastarkhwans will be established across the province.
Shahbaz directed that a survey of cold storages be conducted in the province and details of the stored items be collected. He also issued instructions for formulating Cold Storage Act. He directed officials to coordinate with Utility Stores so that people could fully benefit from the Ramazan Package announced by federal and Punjab government.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 19th, 2014.