Staff Reporter
Islamabad
The National Price Monitoring Committee has asked the Ministry of National Food Security & Research to consult the provincial governments and remain vigilant to control the wheat/flour and sugar prices, and take immediate necessary measures to ensure provision of these items at affordable prices.
Chaired by Secretary Finance here on Friday, the NPMC meeting also called for the provincial governments to provide support to market committees in collaboration with district administration to play proactive role by
removing the price disparity among the provinces and also ensure the smooth supply of essential items. The meeting also discussed the price trend of essential food items.
Representatives from the provincial governments, Islamabad Capital
Territory, Ministries of Industries, Commerce, Law and Justice, Planning,
Development & Special Initiatives, National Food Security & Research, Inter Provincial Coordination, Competition Commission of Pakistan, Cabinet Division and Pakistan Bureau of Statistics were present.
The meeting was informed that CPI inflation year on year was recorded at 9.3 % in July 2020. It was noticed that Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) which
monitors the price movement of 51 essential items on weekly basis recorded a decline of 0.22% for the week ended on 13th August, 2020. This was second consecutive decline in SPI during the month of August 2020 which augurs well to tame down inflationary pressure in the country. During the week, 11 items recorded decline in their prices while 22 items remain stable.
Provincial governments and ICT informed the meeting that they were regularly monitoring the prices and taking strict action against hoarding and undue profiteering. Government in consultation with all stakeholders is proactively taking measures to control the general price level of daily use items at Federal, provincial and district levels.
