Federal cabinet expresses concern over rising price of flour

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information Shibli Faraz has said that the federal cabinet has expressed concern over the rising price of flour and endorsed the instruction of Prime Minister Imran Khan to rectify the situation.

Addressing a press conference today (Tuesday), Shibli Faraz informed the federal cabinet has constituted a committee under Advisor to PM Hafeez Shaikh, which will monitor and supervise the situation to streamline the process.

Senator Shibli Faraz said, “Almost 27 million tons of flour is our requirement with the availability of 25 million tons. In this regard, the federal cabinet has directed the Punjab government to release 900,000 tons of wheat to overcome the shortage of the commodity.”

The Information Minister also assured that steps were being taken to stop the smuggling of wheat as well as bringing transparency in its availability.

Referring to the sugar inquiry case, Shibli Faraz informed that the federal cabinet has welcomed the Islamabad High Court verdict in this regard.

He further said that the process of determining the prices of sugar will be visible in the next three months. “This will result in the provision of the commodity to people at reasonable rates,” he added.  

Commenting on the Education sector, Shibli Faraz informed that the federal cabinet has appreciated the performance of the Education Ministry for introducing a uniform curriculum in the country.

The Information Minister said that the federal cabinet also discussed the use of online education in the post-COVID environment. “The premier emphasized on making this facility available in far-flung areas of the country, especially Balochistan,” he added.

Referring to the health sector, Senator Shibli Faraz said that in a short span of time, the laboratories in the country for coronavirus testing have reached to 129 from two. “The testing capacity has increased to 50,000 tests daily from initial 472,” he added. The Minister said that PM Imran was determined to improve the health system in the country.