ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the Ministry of National Food Security and Research to implement a Ramazan package without involving utility stores, aiming to ensure the distribution of quality commodities and eliminate corruption.
“I have entrusted the Ministry of National Food Security and Research with the responsibility of delivering a Ramazan package independently of utility stores to curb corruption and prevent the distribution of substandard goods,” he stated during a federal cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Earlier this year, the federal cabinet established a high-level committee to devise a strategy for the swift closure of Utility Stores Corporation operations nationwide.
According to a Cabinet Division notification, the seven-member committee includes the state ministers for finance and revenue, information technology, and federal secretaries from finance, industry and production, privatisation, and the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).
Traditionally, the Ramazan package has been distributed through utility stores. However, the newly formed committee is tasked with developing a strategy to deliver the package in coordination with BISP.
