Islamabad December 31 2022: The Utility Stores Corporation (USC) under Prime Minister Relief Package would provide subsidized essential food items
from January 1, 2023 across the country through its countrywide network to provide maximum relief to common man.
A press release issued by the corporation on Saturday reaffirmed its resolve to facilitate the nation in providing more efficient and transparent subsidies to the people under the Prime Minister Relief Package to reduce their hardships and provide them maximum relief.
Keeping in mind the difficulties and problems faced by the people, the Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has announced to provide targeted subsidies on basic food items through Utility Stores Corporation. These items include flour, sugar, ghee, rice, and pulses.
The subsidy will be available from the 1st of January 2023 and consumers who are enrolled in the Benazir Income support Program (BISP) and whose poverty index score is equal to or below PMT-32 will be provided the special targeted subsidies on food items including flour, rice, pulses, sugar and ghee.
For the registered consumers with BISP, the flour will be available at Rs 400 per 10 kg bag against market price of Rs 587 per kg, ghee Rs300 per kg when compared with Rs 406 retail price in the market and sugar for Rs 70 per kg compared with Rs 94 per kg in retail. Furthermore, Rs15 to Rs20 will be saved on rice and pulses per kg, however, the monthly purchase limit for the consumers also fixed.
According to the purchase limits, a consumer could able to purchase 40 kg of flour, 5 kg sugar and 5 kg of ghee monthly, besides, all other consumers of Utility Stores Corporation will also be provided subsidies on these five food items under the Prime Minister Relief Package.
For the other consumers, flour will be provided at Rs648 per 10 kg bag, ghee Rs375 per kg and sugar at Rs 89 per kg, where as Rs 15 to 20 per kg discount on the purchase of pulses and rice will also be provided to consumers other then registered with BISP.
The monthly purchase limit for these consumers is also set according to which they can buy 20 kg of flour, 3 kg of sugar, and 3 kg of ghee.
For the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the flour will be provided for Rs 400 per 10 kg bag at all the sales points and mobile stores established on the instruction of the prime minister.
The USC has asked its all consumers and customers to SMS their Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) numbers from their mobile phones to 5566 and they will receive a one-time password (OTP) after which they can avail subsidy and can purchase items.
This OTP is applicable at all Utility Stores and this new system will facilitate the consumers in buying the subsidized items in a very transparent manner and will also save their time.
