Utility Stores to provide subsidy on essential items under Ramazan Relief Package

ISLAMABAD: The Utility Stores Corporation would subsidize 19 essential items under the ‘Ramazan Relief Package’ to provide maximum relief to the masses during the holy month.

This was briefed at the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet, which met in Islamabad today with Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh in the chair.

The USC under the proposed relief package will provide a subsidy worth 7.8 billion rupees on various items, including wheat flour, sugar and ghee.

It was briefed that procurement would start from the next month to ensure availability of basic items at discounted prices across 4,000 outlets of USC throughout the country.

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) last year had approved Rs 7.6 billion Ramazan Relief Package.

The ECC also permitted the import of cotton from Afghanistan and Central Asian States through land route via Torkham border to bridge the gap between supply and demand and to ensure sufficient availability of cotton for promoting textile exports.