PM directs provincial govts to monitor prices of essential commodities on daily basis

ISLAMABAD : Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday directed the provincial governments to monitor the prices of essential commodities on daily basis and make every effort to pass on the benefits of fuel price reduction to the common man. The Prime Minister took serious view of the fact that while the federal government has reduced petroleum prices drastically in the past few months, there is no corresponding reduction in the prices of essential commodities rather these are showing upward trend.  In a letter addressed to Chief Ministers and Chief Secretaries of all the provinces and Gilgit Baltistan, and also to his Adviser on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, the Prime Minister stressed that the benefit of price reduction of fuel be passed on to common man. The Prime Minister directed the provincial chief ministers and chief secretaries to personally look into the matter and make every possible effort to ensure that the impact of reduction of fuel prices must correspondingly reflect in the prices of essential commodities. He also asked the National Price Monitoring Committee to monitor the prices of essential commodities on weekly basis as already directed by the federal cabinet and devise a mechanism to bring down the prices of essential commodities. “The Prime Minister has desired that the Chief Ministers/Chief Secretaries of the provinces shall personally look into the matter and make every effort to ensure that the impact of the reduction of fuel prices must correspondingly reflect in the prices of essential commodities on daily basis,” an excerpt of the letter shared by PM Media Office, read. “The Prime Minister has taken serious view of the fact that while the federal government had reduced POL prices drastically in the past few months, there is no corresponding reduction in the prices of essential commodities rather these are showing upward trend,” it added. Imran Khan said there is no logic as to why flour prices should increase when harvesting of the wheat crop has just recently been concluded. “There is no logic as to why flour prices should increase when harvesting of the wheat crop has just recently been concluded,” the Prime Minister remarked.