Bachat Cards scheme launched for poor
Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—President Pervez Musharraf on Friday launched the ‘Bachat Card’ Scheme aimed at providing essential food items at affordable rates to 6.8 million low-income households.
“It is the obligation of the State to help those who do not have enough means and we will ensure that everyone is able to get food at affordable rates,” the President said at the launch of the scheme at a Utilit Store at Karachi Company. The President, along with Prime Minister Mohammadmian Soomro distributed the cards among the deserving people.
They will absorb an amount of Rs 3 billion monthly - Rs 36 billion annually on the subsidy,” the President said and added that the five items will be made available at around 42 percent lesser rates than the market - 25 per cent less than prices at USC.
While stressing maximum members of a family to take up jobs to increase their income,the President said that “Utility Store bachat card”will provide relief on five basic food commodities including wheat flour (atta), ghee and oil, sugar, rice and dal channa through 4500 Utility Stores outlets.Under the scheme the people having the cards will get flour at Rs 9 per kilo and sugar at Rs 15 per kilo. The scheme, initially launched in Islamabad will be subsequently expanded to other parts of country covering 2 million poor families registered with the Bait-ul-Mal. Later 2.4 million households registered with Ministry of Zakat and another 1.8 million poor families would be covered in the third phase of the scheme.
The President directed the Utility Stores Corporation to expand its network to the remote parts of the country swiftly so that the problems of the people be eased.
Caretaker Prime Minister Mohammadmian Soomro said with increased coverage the system will further improve and more people will be added to the database. Chairman Federal Food Committee (FFC), Lt Gen (R) Farooq Ahmed Khan here on Friday warned the flour mill owners that their wheat could be confiscated if stored more than a day and not ground on daily basis.
“The government is providing 100 percent incessant quota of wheat on daily basis to the mills for producing Atta (Flour) so if they fail to grind it on daily basis id would be confiscated,” he said.
The Chairman FFC took serious note of the reports regarding the charge of Rs.16.50 per kg flour in some parts of NWFP including Sawat, D.I.Khan, Karak, Mardan, Sawabi, Nowshara, Malakand etc and called for the prices control mechanism for lowering the prices of the committee for the relief of the general public.