Prime Minister Imran has taken notice of excessive price hikes and has intended to launch a special campaign to monitor the price control mechanism. He has ordered immediate action against the hoarding and other malpractices to artificially increase the prices and has directed the concerned authorities to take due steps.
He has directed the officials to visit the wholesale markets in order to obtain genuine information and submit a report of the findings within seven days. He added that it is the basic job of the filed officers to provide relief to the masses.
The nine-point agenda released by the PM’s office is as under:
- A strategy shall be devised by all concerned stakeholders to implement price control laws effectively from the wholesale markets to retail shops
- Prime and Market Control Committees shall be made more effective and should take stern actions against the perpetrators under law
- Field Officers shall frequently visit the wholesale markets and be present at the time of auctions to determine realistic rates
- All the Provincial Secretaries shall frequently have a surprise check in the districts.
- Special Branch shall report daily the implementation of directives to the Chief Secretary and the Chief Minister concerned
- Mechanism be developed to check unscrupulous elements which charge un-proportionate prices without sufficient cause
- Strict action shall be taken against hoarding
- Price Control Committees shall notify the rates of essential commodities regularly and the same shall be implemented effectively
- A performance evaluation mechanism, with reward and punishment, be developed to ensure the success of this campaign.
On the other side, PML-N leader Maryam Aurangzeb criticized the government on latest price increments and said the PM will have to be answerable for that. You have handed over the affairs of the country to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and now you are taking notice of rising prices.”, she said.