PESHAWAR, Nov 04 (APP): People of all walks of life here Thursday highly appreciated the Prime Minister’s food subsidy package worth Rs120 billion providing a 30 percent discount on ghee, flour, and pulses to support 130 million people for six months would immensely help reduce the impact of inflation.
Politicians, civil society, farmers, laborers, academicians, and the general public have highly lauded Prime Minister Imran Khan for announcing the country’s biggest-ever subsidy food package to support over 130 million people by ebbing away from the impact of inflation and providing them direct relief on flour, ghee/cooking oil and pulses for six months.
Provincial Minister for Information Kamran Bangash said the Prime Minister has announced a historic Rs120 billion food subsidy package that would directly benefit 130 million people in Pakistan including in Khyber Pakthunkhwa.
He said 53percent population of Pakistan would get support from the historic relief package, adding Rs1000 subsidy on flour, pulses and ghee/cooking oil per family would be provided every month.
Provincial Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, Mohibullah Khan told APP that the Prime Minister has deserved full credit and appreciation for announcing Pakistan’s biggest ever food subsidy package for people, adding 20 million masses would be directly benefited.
He said the beneficiaries would avail of a 30 percent discount on ghee, pulses, and flour for the next six months. Food subsidy package is apart from the ongoing different programs under Ehsaas Initiative worth Rs 260 billion launched by the Government to facilitate poor people.
Professor Dr. Muhammad Naeem of the University of Swabi termed the food subsidy package as a historic step of the Government to provide relief to poor people, farmers, laborers, and other segments of the society on important food items.
He said flour, pulses, and ghee were the most common food items being used by poor people on which they are spending a substantial amount from their hard-earned money and the package was a great blessing for them. Professor Dr. Naeem said prices of petroleum products were low in Pakistan compared to other countries, adding oil prices in the global market had increased by 100% but Pakistan shifted only 33% of the burden.
In India, he said oil prices had surged to Rs 250, Bangladesh 200 while it was only at Rs138 in Pakistan. He said inflation has also been witnessed in the world where prices of commodities grew by 50% in a year against just 9% in Pakistan, adding it was unfortunate that inflation has been linked with an enhancement of petroleum prices in our country.
Dr Naeem claimed that Turkey, the US, China, and Germany had been facing the highest inflation, adding gas prices has surged by 116% in the US, 300% in Europe but Pakistan made no increase except for the one being imported. Former Nazim, Bahadar Khan welcomed the PM’s announcement of Rs1400 billion for the Kamyab Pakistan Program aimed at providing interest-free business loans to entitled four million families and termed the Kamyab Pakistan Program as a historic step of the Government providing relief to poor people at their doorsteps.
Kamyab Jawan Program package consists of interest-free loans for house construction, Rs500,000 each loan for farmers and businesses besides skill training to a member of the entitled family.
So far, the Government had given Rs 30 billion loans to 22,000 businesses under the Kamayab Jawan Program featuring the provision of six million scholarships and stipends to students.
He said a billion trees afforestation project, PM’s education and agriculture programs, Swat Motorway, and bus rapid transport project in Peshawar have brought positive changes in peoples’ lifestyles and expedited the pace of socio-economic development.
Farmer Misal Khan, teacher Riaz Khan, laborer Muhammad Ali and others have welcomed the PM’s food subsidy package and termed it goal-oriented and historic.
