The Utility Stores Corporation (USC) has increased the prices of sugar, ghee, and flour for consumers including beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), after the outgoing government removed the subsidy on these essential commodities.
The price of a 10 kg bag of flour has increased by Rs200, sugar by Rs30, and ghee by Rs53 per kg.
This increase in prices surprisingly comes despite the fact that the government had raised the subsidy for the USC from Rs30 billion to Rs35 billion in the ongoing fiscal year’s budget.
The only relief that awaits the consumers is the Prime Minister’s Azadi package for BISP beneficiaries that will start from August 11. Under it, a 10 kg flour bag will be available at Rs648, and there will be a discount of Rs25 per kg on rice and pulses.
Adding insult to injury, the consumers also have to deal with shortage of goods at utility stores. Citizens who wait in queues for hours to buy subsidized items often have to return empty-handed.
Utility stores authorities have refused to comment on the situation.
