Punjab Senior & Food Minister Abdul Aleem Khan on Tuesday directed the district officers of the Food Department across the province to ensure strict monitoring of flour mills in their respective areas so that the official release of wheat do not go to provinces other than Punjab and ensure availability of subsidized flour in Punjab markets.
He warned that if the officers of the Food Department showed negligence, stern action would be taken against them without any discrimination. He added that he would personally visit different districts this week to take on the spot notice of the situation and action would be taken where complaints would be found.
Presiding over a video link meeting of all the District Food Officers and Deputy Directors from across Punjab, here on Tuesday, Abdul Aleem Khan said that the Punjab Government was giving huge subsidy of billions of rupees for low price flour which should directly benefit the common man. Prime Minister Imran Khan is personally aware of the situation of wheat and flour in Punjab from time to time and no negligence will be tolerated in this regard.
He said that he is getting reports on subsidized flour through his private teams while special branch and other agencies also giving their feedback in this regard. He directed the Food Officers of border districts including Attock and Rahim Yar Khan to keep a close watch on flour smuggling to other provinces. He said that he would not allow anybody to purchase the atta of the Punjab Government and sell the same flour at high prices in other provinces.
Senior & Food Minister said that low price flour should not be transported directly from any other flour mill or through an agent for sell in other provinces and if it goes out, its responsibility will fall on the Food Department and local administration.
He pointed out that the supply of subsidized flour is 90% available and the remaining 10% should be ensured and immediate action be taken where there is any complaint. Senior Food Minister clarified that he would fully support the innocent officers and go to every forum to help them out but there will be strict action against the officers and personnel involved in bogus activities so all the district officers of the Food Department should be vigilant and perform their duties and send report on daily basis of low price flour.
Aleem Khan said that the price of flour has been fixed after consultation with flour mills and now it is the responsibility of the administration to provide 20kg bag of flour to every citizen at Rs860 and 10kg bag at Rs430, across Punjab. He directed the district food officers that they should identify those millers involved in sending subsidized Government wheat flour to other provinces so that they could be blacklisted.
Punjab Food Secretary Dr Asad Ur Rehman Gillani, the Food Director and senior officers also attended the meeting and gave a detailed briefing to the Senior & Food Minister on the present situation of wheat and flour in the province.
