The holy month of fasting, Ramzan-ul-Mubarik, is just around the corner. The faithful have already started or completed making the necessary preparations for fasting and earning as many blessings of Almighty Allah as possible.
It is good to see that the federal government as well as the newly-inducted Deputy Prime Minister Ch Parvez Elahi have kept their commitment to the people regarding continuation of the Ramzan Package at the Utility Stores network throughout the country. Under the package, hundreds of items including atta, ghee, rice, sugar and other daily use items are being sold to the people at subsidised rates with effect from July 16, perhaps.
While making the announcement regarding continuation of the Ramzan Package at the Utility Stores last month or so, Ch Parvez Elahi had said that the Ramzan Package would benefit people from all walks of life in general and the poor people with limited and meager resources in particular both in the rural and urban areas.
He had also hinted at expansion of the Utility Stores network all over the country in a continuous phased manner in order to ensure that more and more outlets become available to the people for purchasing good quality daily use items at reasonable rates throughout the year and at subsidised rates during Ramzan.
While appreciating the launching of the Ramzan Package with increased number of daily use and essential articles available at subsidised rates, this is to avail this opportunity to make an impassioned appeal to the prospective buyers at the Utility Stores to please not to indulge in panic buying at all on one account or the other. This would create avoidable and unnecessary shortage of one or more items and at the same time, storing of the essential daily use articles by some people would deprive other needy people of these items which in no way is something to be appreciated.
Furthermore, such panic buying provides an opportunity to the hoarders and the black marketers to exploit the situation, which could easily be avoided, and sell the daily use items at higher prices to the needy people. So, please avoid panic buying during Ramzan as much as possible so that all can avail this facility. This is an appeal by an elderly faithful to the fellow faithful with the hope they would give this due consideration.
