Ramadan Package from 15th: USC MD

The Utility Stores Corporation (USE) would start implementation of the Ramazan package from Sunday, July 15 with the sole aim to provide relief to people, particularly the poor and low-income during the holy month.
“We have already finalized the arrangements to implement the Ramazan Package on July 15 as the corporation has completed about 100 percent procurement of the commodities that would be provided on subsidized rates during the holy month,” USC Managing Director Major General (R) Malik Muhammad Farooq told APP. The government has approved Rs 2.5 billion for the Ramazan package to provide quality goods at subsidised rates during the holy month of Ramazan, he added.
Talking to this agency, the USC MD said that besides the allocated subsidy, the Corporation has also decided to provide further relief to common man by minimizing profit ratio and passing on the benefits of rebates provided by the suppliers to the end consumers. He informed that USC had already started working on its 100 day plane with the procurement of different commodities on economical rates before starting of the holey months to provide maximum relief to poor segments of the society as prices of essential goods registers upward trend by the start of the month.
The government has also hired warehouses for keeping the sufficient stocks as well as to monitor the quality of the products and smooth supply throughout the Ramazan, he added. “Quality control in all 5,800 country wide outlets is the top priority of the corporation and special vigilance teams have been constituted to keep strict check on the quality of the commodities”, he added. Malik Muhammad Farooq said that USC has procured 2,000 metric tons of pulses which would be ground in the USC’s grinding mills and would be distributed in its 10 zones to provide pure basin at Rs. 105 per kg as against Rs. 130 to Rs. 135 per kg in open market. Besides other items, basin, dates and drinks would be provided on priority basis Rs 20-30 cheaper as compared to the open market as the commodity volume had also been increased from 350 items to 2,000 items, he remarked.
He said the government has decided to open 2,000 more stores as about 70 percent existing outlets were providing services in rural areas, while 30 percent in urban areas.
Summer art show attract visitors: A series of summer art shows by various artists is in progress to attract visitors at Nomad Art Gallery till July 14.
Anjum Ayub, Asad-ur-Rehman, Arjumand Awan, Zia Zaidi, Tabassum Rizvi, Mughees Riaz and Hanif Abdul (German/Pakistani origin) are the participating artists who gathered diverse collection of paintings in the second exhibition of the series of summer art shows with the theme `Serenade’. A total of 22 paintings created with mediums like acrylic on board, mix-media and oil on canvas portray striking images that capture experimental and thought-provoking paintings and prints by local and international contemporary artists with a Pakistani origin, said Director Nomad Nageen Hyat.
Asad-ur-Rehman is a French abstract expressionist painter and sculptor of Pakistan origin. His canvases are exuberant and colour-filled. Asad’s work is generally characterised by a strong dependence on what appears to be accident and chance, but which is actually planned. His mature work appears to be influenced by French artists. He believes that abstract art is a way to achieve what is really important for each medium of expression. He has participated in many national and international art exhibitions.