Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday condemned the Sindh government for not participating in the Rs 106.1 billion Ehsaas Ration Programme (ERP) starting from December 31.
Khan said that people of the province will not avail benefits of the programme aimed at providing relief to 20 million inflation-hit people in the country, reported Dawn.
Under the programme, pulses, flour and edible oil/ghee will be available at subsidised rates for the registered persons at Utility Stores, superstores and thousands of designated general/grocery stores across the country. A subsidy of Rs 22 will be given on flour, Rs 105 on ghee and Rs 55 on pulses.
Sixty-five per cent cost of the programme will be borne by the provinces while the Centre will contribute 35 per cent. Under the programme, a subsidy of Rs 1,000 will be given to 20 million beneficiaries on the purchase of three consumer items -- pulses, edible oil/ghee and wheat flour.
Meanwhile, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said, "The prime minister strongly condemned the stubborn attitude of the Sindh government for not participating in the social welfare programme depriving people of the province of its benefits," reported Dawn.
He said Prime Minister Khan during the recent inauguration of the Green Line Bus project in Karachi had asked the Sindh government to bury political differences and join the programme, but the provincial government was bent upon rejecting it.
The Pakistan Peoples Party-led Sindh government's spokesman Saeed Ghani asked why the provincial government would contribute Rs17 billion to the programme launched by the federal government.
Talking to Dawn, he said instead of going for a hectic exercise of providing ration subsidy, the Centre should have given additional Rs 1,000 to existing beneficiaries of the Ehsaas programme. "We don't have any extra money to contribute our share in the programme," said Ghani.
( With inputs from ANI )
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