Govt to ensure ration and food supplies to poor families

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: A meeting of PTI’s Core Committee was held in Islamabad on Sunday with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair.

The meeting discussed the steps being taken to address current Covid-19 situation.

The protocols set for social distancing were observed as participants of the meeting maintained proper distance from one another.

Briefing media after the meeting, Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said government will ensure ration and food supplies to poor families across the country in the wake of COVID-19.

She said Prime Minister Imran Khan has trust in youth and wants to use their potential in ensuring supply of food items to common people.

Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said Imran Khan made it clear at the meeting that relief packages will be provided to all the provinces indiscriminately. He said the prime minister advised Minister for National Food Security to ensure availability of food items, including flour so that there should be no shortage of such items.

She said Imran Khan urged the party leadership to stand by the people in testing times and play a proactive role in resolution of their problems.

The Prime Minister directed the provincial governments to take strict action against hoarders and informed the meeting that there is no shortage of any food item in the country.

He sought a road map from the district governments to check hoarding. The Prime Minister will personally announce a comprehensive road map tomorrow to ensure uninterrupted food supplies across Pakistan.

She said Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar apprised the meeting that a fund of 10 billion rupees has been established under which 2.5 million deserving families will get 4,000 rupees per month through easy paisa services.

She said BISP beneficiaries will be excluded from this package. She said eight state of the art laboratories, equipped with modern technology, are being established in every division of the province, which can perform 3,200 tests on daily basis.

She said ten thousand paramedics will be recruited in the province, while one month salary as bonus will be given to doctors and paramedics, who will serve as frontline soldiers against Coronavirus pandemic.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mehmood Khan briefed the meeting that a relief package of 11.40 billion rupees has been announced to benefit 1.9 million families across the province.