Govt to roll out Ramazan relief package from Monday

ISLAMABAD: The federal government is set to initiate the implementation of the Ramazan relief package worth Rs7.492 billion through Utility Stores Corporation (USC) outlets starting from Monday.

With Ramazan expected to commence on March 11, the federal cabinet had previously approved the launch of the relief package, which will continue until the end of the holy month.

Government sources said that targeted beneficiaries will receive relief on 19 essential items, including atta, sugar, various pulses, rice varieties, cooking oil, spices, and beverages.

Additionally, an allocation of Rs145 million has been earmarked for an awareness campaign across electronic and print media platforms to inform the public about the Ramazan package.

Highlighting the longstanding tradition, the Ministry of Industries had informed the cabinet that subsidized rates on these essential items have been provided to the general public through USC outlets since 1991 during the holy month of Ramazan.

For the fiscal year 2023-24, the federal government has allocated Rs35 billion in the budget to subsidize essential items, encompassing both the Prime Minister’s Relief Package 2023-2024 and the Ramazan Relief Package 2024, distributed through USC outlets.

Given the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s directives on targeted subsidies, the government has decided to extend the subsidy exclusively to the targeted beneficiaries registered under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) through the PMT-40 database.

In light of these developments, the Ministry of Industries and Production has recommended that subsidies be directed towards beneficiaries registered under PMT-60, potentially expanding coverage to an additional 12.73 million households beyond the current 26.92 million households served under PMT-40.