Ramazan, the holy month of fasting, ironically brings a surge in inflation in our region, disrupting the delicate balance of demand and supply. Every year, prices shoot up and the poor suffer the most. The Punjab government used to set up Ramazan bazaars to control prices, but this time, it has scrapped them.
\nInstead, the government has introduced \u2018Sahulat Stalls\u2019 in Model Bazaars. These stalls sell 17 essential items at lower rates. But the problem is that Model Bazaars are too few. In Lahore, a city of 13 million people, only 10 such bazaars exist. Many towns and districts have no Model Bazaars at all.
\nThe government says that Ramazan Bazaars were full of corruption and fund misuse. Each bazaar used to get a Rs15 million subsidy, yet there were complaints of overcharging and poor management. Officials now claim that the new system is better. Instead of setting up temporary stalls, they are offering Rs10,000 cash relief to three million families under the \u201cRamazan Nigehban Package.\u201d This money is being sent through Pakistan Post, mobile banking shops, and apps.
\nThe new model sounds good on paper, but it does not help the general public. Only the selected families will get cash, while millions of others must buy expensive food from the open market. Even the \u201cSahulat Stalls\u201d are not enough because many areas have no access to them.
\nCommission agents (Arhtis) were supposed to sell essential items at wholesale rates in these bazaars, but they refused. Eventually, flour mills and sugar mills agreed to provide subsidised goods, but their availability remains uncertain.
\nIn some districts, deputy commissioners have marked local shops as Sahulat Stalls. But this is not a perfect solution. Many people are still left without access to affordable food during Ramazan.
\nThe government admits it cannot provide relief to all 140 million people in Punjab. But without better planning, inflation will continue to make life miserable for the poor. Ramazan should be a month of blessings, not one of suffering. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ramazan, the holy month of fasting, ironically brings a surge in inflation in our region, disrupting the delicate balance of demand and supply. Every year, prices shoot up and the poor suffer the most. The Punjab government used to set up Ramazan bazaars to control prices, but this time, it has scrapped them. Instead, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-465043","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-editorial"},"yoast_head":"\n