Cabinet okays Rs 2b Ramzan Package for poor

The federal cabinet on Wednesday approved a Rs 2 billion-subsidised Ramzan Relief Package of essential food items to be distributed through the Utility Stores Corporation (USC). The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, was given an extensive briefing by the industries ministry secretary on the Ramzan Package. The prime minister stressed that all departments concerned should ensure adequate supply of necessary household items in the markets during the holy month.
Essential food items included in the Ramzan Relief Package are wheat flour, oil, lentils, chick peas, dates, rice, soft drinks, tea and spices. It was also decided that the USC would reduce the prices of more than 800 items by five to 10 percent by reducing its own margin. There will be a difference of Rs 17 per kg in the rate of sugar in the open market and the price at the USC. Moreover, there will be difference of Rs 125 to Rs 185 in the price of a 20kg bag of wheat flour. Per the cabinet’s decision, a subsidy of Rs 14 per kg has been approved for cooking oil, Rs 10 per kg for daal chana, white gram, daal moong, daal maash, dates, rice, squashes, subsidy of Rs 40 per kg was approved for tea, Rs 5 per litre for tetra pack milk. All utility stores will provide a 10 percent subsidy on all spices during Ramzan.
The prime minister directed the cabinet members to adopt effective measures to bring down the prices of essential commodities during Ramzan and the authorities concerned to take adequate measures against hoarding. He said authorities should ensure the availability of food items throughout the month and no complaint of shortage or deficiency of any item should be received. The cabinet approved the decisions of the ECC taken in its meeting on June 30 and July 20 and also discussed and confirmed the decisions taken by the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCOP) in its meeting on June 17.
The cabinet discussed and granted ex-post facto approval to the release of financial support of Rs 65 billion to PEPCO in order to improve the supply of electricity to the people.The cabinet discussed and approved the proposed amendments in the Pakistan Penal Code 1860 and Criminal Procedure Code Draft bill 2011 amending PPC and CrPC, for its introduction in either House of parliament. The proposed amendments will make the offences like tampering with oil and gas pipelines, damaging and causing destruction to oil and gas pipelines and theft of oil and gas liable to a punishment of imprisonment and imposition of fine.
For the implementation of the Supreme Court judgements, the cabinet also discussed the proposed amendments in the National Tariff Commission (NTC) ACT 1990. The proposed amendments will allow any two of the members of the NTC to exercise powers conferred upon the commission with regard to the cases that fall within its jurisdiction. The cabinet also approved the start of negotiations for finalisation of MoU regarding collaboration in trade promotion activities between Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO). The cabinet also agreed to the signing of an MoU on media cooperation exchanges between Pakistan and China. It agreed to the draft bill for allowing Ministry of Interior to notify required amendments in the 12th Schedule of the Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1965 and agreed to start negotiations for modernising the Pakistan Steel Mills. It allowed the Ministry of Production to engage in negotiations with its Russian counterpart for finalising details for a proposed BMRE and capacity expansion of Pakistan Steel Mills. The cabinet discussed issues related to equal treatment for contribution in research and development fund for fixed line and mobile operators and decided that 0.5 percent contribution would be applicable to all fixed line and mobile phone operators.It also approved in principle to start negotiations to enter into an agreement on transfer of offenders between Pakistan and Maldives and approved the initiation of negotiations on draft MoU to counter narcotics between the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The cabinet approved the initiation and signing of MoU between the governments of Pakistan and Argentina.