Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has approved release of Rs 2.5 billion to procure 200,000 tons of wheat to achieve the procurement target. “I want to fair distribution of bardana and small growers must be given due share.”
He issued these directives to the minister for food while presiding over a joint meeting of food and finance department here at CM House Thursday.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Food Ginachand Israni, Secretary Finance Sohail Rajput and concerned senior officers of food department. The food minister briefing the chief minister said that 836,000 tons of wheat had been procured so far and the remaining procurement is in progress. The chief minister asked him about the progress of the procurement of 200,000 tons he had announced on the floor of Sindh Assembly. At this, the food minister said the funds for more procurement were yet to be released.
The chief minister directed the finance department to release the required funds to the food department. Secretary Finance Sohail Rajput told the chief minister that the food department had given him a demand of Rs 3.5 billion. “I have already released Rs 1 billion on your (CM) directives and another Rs 1 billion funds are available with the food department and the remaining amount of Rs1.5 billion would be release on Friday,” he said.
The chief minister directed the minister for food to remove the district food controllers (DFC) where there were complaints of corruption and send their cases to the anti-corruption department. “It is very clear that I would not tolerate corruption at any cost,” he said.
Syed Qaim Ali Shah said there were complaints from Ghotki, Shikarpur and Jacobabad that procurements had not been made properly. Therefore, Minister Food Gianchand must give personal attention to these districts. Apart from it, the small growers must be given preference, he directed.
The minister food told the chief minister that 200,000 gunny bags were available with the food department. “We start their distribution from today and the remaining bardana would be made available shortly,” he said.
Gianchand told the chief minister that 697,895 tons of last year’s wheat crop was lying in the food department go downs and so far the department has procured 836,337 tons. “It means 10,89,913 tons of wheat is available in the go downs of food department. The procurement of 264,000 tons are yet to be made,” he said.