Sugar, flour, and ghee all have their prices raised by the USC.
Beneficiaries of the BISP who are deemed eligible will not be subject to the new charges.
ISLAMABAD:
The prices of sugar, bread, and ghee in utility stores would increase despite the relief measures announced by the prime minister.
According to sources at the Utility Stores Corporation (USC), a notification had been issued to raise the prices of sugar by Rs19 per kg, ghee by Rs75 per kg, and a 20-kg bag of flour by Rs496.
They further stated that starting on January 1, 2023, the new prices would be in force at Utility Stores across the nation.
The Benazir Income Support Program’s deserving beneficiaries will not be subject to the new prices (BISP).
The BISP beneficiaries would continue to purchase these commodities at their previous prices, according to USC sources.
The BISP beneficiaries came into this group because it had been determined to sell necessities at the Utility Stores at targeted subsidies as part of the prime minister’s relief package.
The sources claim that the monthly limit for purchasing sugar and ghee from utility stores has been decreased from five kilogrammes to three kg.
In a similar vein, the monthly limit for flour purchases has been lowered from 40 kilogramme to 20 kg.
According to the USC, the current limit of items for consumers who are BISP-registered would not alter.
The BISP recipients would be able to purchase 40 kg of flour, 5 kg each of sugar and ghee, each month.
In order to decrease subsidies by Rs15 billion in the remaining months of the current fiscal year, the government agreed last month to raise the cost of necessities by up to 63% at the Utility Stores while shielding the poorest 400,000 users from the increase in pricing.
It had been determined to cut the USC’s monthly stipend by 54%, from Rs3.6 billion to Rs1.65 billion.
The 400,000 consumers with the lowest incomes, who were shopping at Utility Stores for goods with subsidies, would be exempt from the decision.
It was determined in April of this year that as part of its Ramadan aid package, Utility Stores will sell 19 basic food items at prices lower than those found on the free market.
The USC had said that customers may simply present their CNICs to receive a subsidy of up to Rs3,000 at any of its 4,000 retail locations throughout the nation.
Customers will receive a 20-kg bag of wheat flour as part of the deal for Rs950. Its cost in the open market ranged from Rs. 1,100 to Rs. 1,350.
Similar to this, 1 kilogram of sugar would be sold for Rs 85 as opposed to Rs 86–Rs 93 on the free market.
One kilogram of ghee costs Rs260 at a USC outlet as opposed to Rs470 on the open market.
The Utility Stores will continue to receive subsidised supplies of wheat flour, sugar, cooking oil, pulses, and rice, according to directions given by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in June of this year.
