ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said that a special campaign will be launched to ensure that government departments improve their efficiency in controlling prices.
The announcement came via a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office, which also outlined a strategy to implement price controls.
The nine-point strategy stated that a mechanism shall be devised by all concerned stakeholders to implement price control laws effectively from the wholesale markets to retail shops; prime and market control committees shall be made more effective and should take stern actions against the perpetrators under law; field officers shall frequently visit the wholesale markets and be present at the time of auctions to determine realistic rates; all the provincial secretaries shall frequently have a surprise check in the districts; Special Branch shall report daily the implementation of directives to the chief secretary and the chief minister concerned; mechanism be developed to check unscrupulous elements which charge disproportionate prices without sufficient cause; strict action shall be taken against hoarding; price control committees shall notify the rates of essential commodities regularly and the same shall be implemented effectively; a performance evaluation mechanism, with reward and punishment be developed to ensure success of this campaign.
The prime minister has directed that progress on the above directions be reported to him within seven days.
“Lack of coordination among various stakeholders, poor understanding/implementation and indifferent attitude has established redundancy of these laws, thus increasing suffering of the general public,” the PM Office statement observed.
“Effective implementation of local and special laws concerning efficient service delivery and relief to the general public is one of the prime responsibilities of field administration,” it added.
The PTI government has been under increasing public and political pressure to rein in the sweeping price hike of utilities as well as commodities such as gas, medicines, and essential food items.
The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Wednesday approved an increase in gas price and a withdrawal in the subsidy on electricity. Resultantly, the average increase in gas and electricity tariff will be around 25pc and 12pc, respectively.
