Relief efforts underway for poor, announces PM

ISLAMABAD – Inflation continues to be a major concern for Pakistan as the country faces a surge in prices for basic necessities. According to the latest report released by the National Bureau of Statistics, inflation increased by 0.96% during the ongoing week. This marked a significant increase from the previous week and a staggering 45.64% rise annually.

The report indicated that the price of 28 basic necessity items increased, while the price of 11 items decreased. The price of 12 items remained the same. The most affected segment of the population were those with an income of 44,175 rupees per month, for which the rate of inflation was 47.97%.

The prices of essential items, such as potatoes, sugar, tomatoes, flour, beef, cooking oil, energy savers, tea, rice, boiled fresh milk, curd, and petroleum products Increased. In contrast, the prices of onion, chicken, garlic, eggs, LPG, dal mash, dal chana, dal masoor, and dal mung became cheaper.

The rise in inflation has put a strain on the average Pakistani citizen who was already struggling with economic difficulties.

Meanwhile,

Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, announced on Friday that the government was making efforts to provide relief to the middle class and poor segments of society.

The announcement was made during a meeting regarding the provision of relief to citizens of Islamabad during Ramadan. Addressing the participants of the meeting, the Prime Minister said that the government was working hard to provide relief to the public in these tough financial situations.

As part of this effort, the Prime Minister announced a gift of free flour for 185 thousand deserving families of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). The free flour would be available from March 18, 2023, and would be provided at 40 points of utility stores in the ICT.

The Prime Minister also announced that the data of eligible persons would be linked to the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP). Eligible persons can check their eligibility by sending their identity card number at 8717.

This initiative was expected to provide much-needed relief to the deserving families of Islamabad, who were struggling to make ends meet in the face of rising inflation.