USC jacks up prices of sugar, flour, ghee

ISLAMABAD: Despite the Prime Minister’s relief package, the government-run utility store corporation (USC) has jacked up the prices of sugar, flour and ghee and other food items, ARY News reported on Sunday.

According to the notification issued here, the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) have increased the price of sugar by Rs19 per kg, ghee by Rs75 per kg, and a 20-kg bag of flour by Rs496.

The new prices would be effective at Utility Stores across the country from January 1, 2023, said the notification.

The new prices would not apply to the deserving beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), it added.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif had announced to provision of targeted subsidies on basic food items through Utility Stores Corporation. These items included flour, sugar, ghee, rice, and pulses.

Consumers enrolled in the Benazir Income support Program are elagible to get the food items on subsidized rates from the Utility Stores outlets.

Meanwhile, the Utility Stores Corporation has asked its all consumers and customers to SMS their Computerized National Identity Card numbers from their mobile phones to 5566 and they will receive a one-time password after which they can avail subsidy and purchase items.