City Desk
ISLAMABAD:Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Friday said some 4.2 million people had so far received sacks of free wheat flour under the Ramazan Package launched by the government to reduce burden of inflation on lower-middle class and poor people.
Addressing the media persons, the minister said so far, free flour sacks were distributed among more than 4.1 million people in Punjab, while some 72,000 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 20,000 from Islamabad had benefitted from the “historic and unprecedented” scheme on the very first day of its launch in these areas.
She said all was set for starting the free flour supply in Giglit Baltistan, while efforts were also underway to replicate this initiative in other parts of the country including Sindh and Balochistan.
Marriyum said data of the Benazir Income Support Programme was being used to distribute the free flour sacks in a transparent manner. The prime minister had categorically stated that there would be no compromise on quality of the edible and transparency in the distribution process.
She said the prime minister had a track record of pursuing the best governance model to execute people-centric projects.
She said during his visits, the prime minister had held interactions with women children, and persons with disabilities who were sitting in the waiting areas to wait for their turn. The PM also issued directives to the officials concerned to resolve the complaints of the people visiting the flour distribution centers.
Free distribution of flour reinforced the fact that Shehbaz Sharif had not only served the masses while being the chief minister of Punjab, but also continued that journey on becoming prime minister of the country, the minister maintained.
“Launch of the Sasta Petrol (Subsidized fuel) and Muft Atta (Free Flour) schemes are the historic and unprecedented initiatives and it is the only Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz which can take such steps even during the difficult times,” she said, while lambasting Imran Khan for first signing the agreement with the International Monetary Fund on tough conditions and then violating the same for political gains which caused the economic meltdown and inflation.