GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan Food Department, in collaboration with National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), has started verification of subsidised wheat beneficiaries’ CNICs to ensure transparency in distribution of subsidised wheat.
Recently, the food department, in collaboration with Nadra, found 310,405 fake CNICs which were submitted for subsidised wheat. The data verification exercise is aimed at ensuring transparency in subsidised wheat distribution.
According to officials of the GB food department, the verification process examined data from 1,773,893 individuals belonging to 270,794 households in the region.
Among the fake entries, 27,058 CNICs were found belonging to non-GB residents, 41,917 were expired, 1,531 remained unverified, and 3,612 belonged to people who have already died. Ultimately, only 1,381,525 CNICs were successfully verified as eligible for subsidised wheat.
This is pertinent to mention that the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet also approved Rs396 million funds for repair of ministers’ homes, a structure at the Prime Minister’s House and construction of the Supreme Court monument, according to a finance ministry handout.
The money had not been budgeted but it would be given by the finance ministry by deducting from other heads. It approved summaries from the housing and works ministry and the PWD for provision of funds worth Rs25 million, Rs319.5 million and allocation of Rs51.96 million for various projects.
The ECC “gave approval” to a comprehensive sustainable plan for price rationalisation of subsidised wheat in Gilgit-Baltistan, according to the ministry statement. It approved to withdraw wheat subsidy for the 40% population of G-B, falling in two higher income brackets.
The wheat subsidy of the fifth income quantile stood immediately withdrawn, affecting about 228,000 people, out of 1.2 million total population. For the fourth income quantile, it would be withdrawn after the ground survey.
The Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan affairs ministry had also demanded Rs6 billion additional funds and 150,000 metric tons more wheat to provide the subsidised commodity. The ECC decided in principle to give the money, however, the source of funding could not be established.
Some ECC members advocated continuing the subsidy but the finance ministry firmly opposed it. The special region gets wheat at Rs13 per kilogramme as against Rs130 per kilogramme in the rest of Pakistan.
Both finance and the Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs ministries would work out the modalities to provide the money for subsidy for the remaining 60% of the population, according to the decision, which had been taken at a time when the G-B population was protesting against the withdrawal of the subsidy.
