LAHORE: Punjab Industries and Commerce Department Secretary Ehsan Bhutta visited the central Ramazan Control Room here at Poonch House on Monday.
Briefing the media on this occasion, he said that as part of the Ramazan Package, essential food items would be delivered to 6.4 million deserving families at their doorsteps. Following the Punjab Chief Minister’s directives, he mentioned, this initiative would be completed within 15 days, asserting that a food hamper would include five items such as flour, sugar, and ghee. He highlighted that people would also have access to quality edible items at affordable prices in Ramazan and Model bazaars. Bhutta clarified that districts with model bazaars would not have Ramazan bazaars, adding that agricultural fair price shops would also be established in Ramazan and model bazaars.
The Provincial Industries Secretary said that a central control room has been established at Poonch House to oversee the Ramazan Package. Officers and officials from six departments would work
in two shifts at the control room, which would operate from 9 am to 10 pm. The control room’s monitoring would be conducted through online cameras.
Ehsan Bhatta mentioned that the prices of essential commodities would be monitored using the “Punjab Price App” and Punjab Food Authority (PFA) would ensure the quality of essential items, while the Urban Unit would make a third-party assessment of the Ramazan Package.
Efforts are underway to enhance the price control mechanism, he said and asserted that during the last three days, 250 samples of essential items have been collected, out of which seven failed the quality tests, while action was also being taken against mills supplying substandard ghee.
Punjab Industries and Commerce Department’s Director General Asif Ali Farrukh and other relevant officers were also present.