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No respite for poverty-stricken people
By Waheed
Murad
PESHAWAR: Only a few days are
left in the arrival of Ramazan-ul-Mubarak. Every year the
federal government announces special packages for giving relief
to the poor people of the country during the holy month of
fasting, usually in the shape of slashing the prices of the
commodities of daily use provided through the utility stores.
However, this year hardly any
difference is noticeable in the prices of the essential
commodities in the open market and at the utility stores and as
such there is no relief in sight for the common man during the
blessed month of fasting beginning in a few days’ time.
The Utility Stores Corporation
announced two weeks ago giving some concessions in the prices of
items like atta, sugar, ghee, dates, baisan, maida etc, but the
relief is negligible as these items are available almost at the
same prices in the open market.
According to sources, hoarding
of the essential commodities like atta, sugar, rice, pulses,
ghee and baisan etc starts with the arrival of the month of
Shaaban so that these items can be sold at double the usual
prices by creating an artificial crisis.
The government does not appear
to be coming forward with measures of relief for the ordinary
people during the month of fasting. In case the Utility Stores
Corporation working under the control of the government is
constrained to hike the prices of the essential commodities, the
price situation in the open market is bound to be much more
horrifying and paralysing.
At the most the prices of the
essential commodities jacked up through the utility stores will
be slightly slashed in the name of the 'Ramazan Package' to
hoodwink the masses.
The government needs to take
clear-cut steps in this regard so that the worries of the common
people can be reduced and take concrete measures to check the
unbridled trend of price-hike every now and then so that the
masses can find some visible relief. |