USC resumes sale of sugar at reduced rate of Rs 65 per kg

Utility Stores Corporation
Utility Stores Corporation

ISLAMABAD, Oct 27 (APP): The Utility Stores Corporation (USC)
has resumed the sale of sugar at all its stores across the country
at subsidized rate of Rs 65 per kilo.
Managing Director USC, Waseem Mukhtar Khawaja informed the
Senate Standing Committee on Industries here on Thursday that the
USC had procured 6,000 tons of sugar which was now available at all
its outlets across the country, while more sugar would be procured
in the up coming sugarcane crushing season.
He said that the sugar was being sold at Rs 75 per kilo in the
open market while the consumers could get the sugar at subsidized
rates from utility stores.
He admitted that the sugar had not been available at the
utility stores for last several months.
He informed the committee that currently the Utility Stores
was providing subsidy on four items including sugar, cooking oil,
ghee, wheat flour and pulses.
Senator Kulsoom Perveen said that the basic purpose of utility
stores was to provide specially the poor, standard commodities on
subsidized rates therefore the USC should raise the number of
commodities in the list of subsidized items.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Hidayatullah however was
satisfied with the working of USC management as he said “the
committee appreciates the working of USC management as it sees a
reasonable improvement during recent months”.
He added that the committee hoped the USC’s standard would
further improve in the coming months.
He directed USC management to expedited the process of
computerization of the all stores in order to minimize the
embezzlements and mismanagement.
The Managing Director of USC informed the committee that an
negotiation with a company was in process to computerize the head
office, all nine zonal offices, 65 regional offices, warehouses and
1000 stores.
Regarding total sale of the corporation, he informed the
committee that in August , 2016 total sale was recorded at Rs 3.493
billion as compared to the sale of 3.330 billion in the same month
a year ago.
Similarly Rs 3.576 billion sale was recorded in September 2016
as against the sale of Rs 3.492 billion in September 2015, while
upto October 21, the sale of the Corporation was recorded at Rs
2.934 billion as compared to the sale of Rs 2.677 billion during
full month of October 2015.
About total liabilities of USC, the MD informed that currently
the total liabilities of the corporation were Rs 45.79 billion out
of which Rs 26 billion was to be paid to the Trading Corporation of
Pakistan.
He said that these liabilities to be paid to TCP were to be
received by the ministry of Finance as the ministry had not paid the
amount in term of subsidy on sugar during last 7-8 years.
The meeting was attended by Senators Mian Muhammad Ateeq
Sheikh, Chaudhry Tanvir Khan, Khanzada Khan, Malik Najmul Hassan and
Mohsin Aziz.

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