With flour and cheap goods hard to come by at utility stores, citizens queued up

Due to the bad economic situation in the country, limited sources of income, low salary and unemployment problems have severely affected the purchasing power of the middle and poor classes.

Flour, ghee, oil, pulses are expensive in general grocery stores, the main source of purchase of cheap and subsidized items is utility stores where the most important food item is flour. A 10 kg bag of flour at the utility store costs Rs. 648 as compared to the general market. which is no less than a blessing for the poor class.

Citizens have complained that during the hot season when awnings and cold water are not available outside most of the utility stores, due to the reduced number of utility stores, citizens have to walk or spend fares when they reach there and stand in long queues in the scorching heat. It seems, but despite enduring these hardships, flour and other cheap items are not available there.

Citizens complained that we leave our normal lives and stand in queues for cheap goods so that we can buy these cheap goods and arrange food for our families. When these goods are not available, what is the use of government subsidy? Most of the citizens consider shopping at grocery stores as a solution to the problem rather than standing in queues.

Social experts say that at present the number of utility stores is insufficient according to the needs of the country’s population, these utility stores can provide convenience to 2 percent or more of the population according to a non-conclusive method, it is very difficult to definitively determine it. Because most of the purchases at these stores are subsidized items, these utility stores need to be established at UC level so that citizens can buy subsidized food items close to home.

Economists say that the rate of inflation in the country is up to 30%, especially the prices of food items are increasing further. Increasing the number of utility stores is not a complete solution to the problem. All taxes on basic food items should be abolished, utility stores system should be reformed, more subsidies should be given to help the lower income group through Benazir Income Support Program.

Direct subsidy should be given to the poor and middle class, Abed Hasan

Economist Abid Hasan said that the utility store model in the country is wrong. The government should abolish all taxes on important food items such as flour, pulses, ghee, oil, pulses, rice, poor and middle class. Benazir Income Support Program should be coordinated and scaled up by providing direct subsidy. When the utility stores are far away, how can the poor afford the transport costs for shopping from here, so the urban people should purchase from nearby grocery stores with direct subsidy. can do

Economist Farhan Bukhari said that the government should reform the agriculture system, increasing the number of utility stores will not control inflation, there is a need to reform the system at the district level to control inflation so that the people can eat. Cheap drinks can be found.

Former Federal Minister of Finance Miftah Ismail said that the rate of inflation in the country is up to 30%, especially the prices of food and drink items are increasing. I think that the scope of Benazir Income Support Program for the middle and poor class needs to be increased further.

Utility stores providing subsidized goods, Zonal Manager

Utility Stores Karachi Zonal Manager Genghis Khan denied the complaints that utility stores are short of flour and cheap goods. He said that subsidized goods are being supplied to all utility stores in Karachi on time.

The spokesman of the utility stores said that there are currently 4 thousand utility stores in the country, the demand for flour at the utility stores is high at the moment because its price is much lower than the general market, a bag of 10 kg of flour costs Rs 648.

He claimed that it is estimated that 25,000 to 40,000 or more people shop per month at big stores, and this number keeps decreasing or increasing, interest in buying urban subsidized flour, ghee, oil and other goods For example, subsidized goods are sold as per government policy, mega utility stores will soon be set up in mall style in big cities, more steps are being taken to remove the shortage of subsidized goods at utility stores.

Awnings and cold water are provided outside large stores at some places for shoppers outside utility stores in summer and further this facility will be provided outside other stores, as per government subsidy on food items. are being sold, possible complaints of shortage of flour and other commodities will be addressed.

The basic need of middle and poor class is food

Khurshid, a resident of Burns Road, said that the economic situation in the country is bad at the moment, due to the huge increase in inflation, the purchasing power of the citizens has been severely affected. The basic need of the middle and poor class is food at this time. There is no stability in the prices of food items. The most important problem is flour.

Flour is required by every household, the price of flour is not uniform, the price of flour varies by 5 to 10 rupees in each region, flour is selling at 130 to 150 or more per kg, 10 kg bags of flour at utility stores. 648, he complained that flour is not available in most of the utility stores in Karachi, which is a question mark on the performance of the federal government where the subsidized flour is missing.

Despite standing in long queues, flour, ghee and oil are not available at utility stores, Khatun

Rabia, a resident of Punjab Colony, said that my husband works on daily wages. I go to buy from utility stores but these days flour, ghee and oil are not available at utility stores. I stood in long queues for many days but could not get these items. 10 kg bag has been found, he demanded Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take notice of this situation.

The system of providing subsidized goods should be modernized, Saber Michael

Dr. Saber Michael, a social affairs expert, said that I think that the number of utility stores is insufficient to meet the needs of the country’s population, I think according to a tentative estimate, it is 2 percent of the total country’s population. or may facilitate more, is very difficult to definitively determine.

He said that there is a need to expand their scope and modernize the system of subsidized goods supply, utility stores should be established at the Union Committee level, super model utility stores should be established at the district level, inflation. The scope of subsidy of food items should be increased in proportion to

If the government cannot provide cheap goods, why does it announce, Arif?

Arif, a resident of Christian Colony, said that we are four people in the house, my salary is 30 thousand rupees, I buy grocery items for the house from the utility store, the utility store is not in the area and it costs 80 rupees to go to the far store. One has to spend two-way fare, one has to stand in queues in the heat to buy the goods, sometimes when the goods are not available, I have to waste the whole day and return home.

He complained that when the government cannot provide flour and subsidized goods to the poor in time, why does it announce it, why is it humiliating those who cannot provide goods to the poor in the heat? The federal government brought reforms in the system of timely supply of subsidized goods at utility stores.