Punjab government to provide sasta food to labour class

Lahore: Cabinet Committee constituted by the Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif to ascertain operational mode for  provision of cooked meal on negligible price to the low income segment of society through establishment of “Madni Dastarkhawans” has principally agreed with the time tested model of “Madni Dastarkhawans” operated by a former Member Punjab Assembly Haji Muhammad Nawaz according to which 600 “Madni Dastarkhawans” would be established in all populous cities of the province with public private  partnership.

This was decided in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee with the Provincial Minister for Education Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan in chair. Minister for Food Punjab Bilal Yaseen, Agriculture Minister Dr. Farrukh Javed, Minister for Industries, Commerce & Investment Punjab Chaudhary Muhammad Shafique, Khurram Gulfam MPA and senior officers of the relevant governmental departments participated.

Chairman Cabinet Committee Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan reviewed three different models for proper implementation on the project of provision of low price meal to the low income segment of the society and remarked that the operational mode to achieve the purpose presented  by Haji Muhammad Nawaz was the most doable in the light of Quranic Injunctions regarding provision of meal to the poor and destitute purely to obey the command of Allah Almighty will be possible only with the help of the donations from the local Philanthropists coupled with some subsidy from the provincial government. In this model “Dastarkhawan Societies” to be constituted in every district of the province will monitor the “Madni Dastarkhawans” and would be made responsible for maintenance of operational record which would be submitted to the relevant DCOs on weekly basis.

According to this model, the government will pay no subsidy to the owners of both tandoors made with clay and mechanical ones but every mechanical tandoor will be linked with three “Madni Dastarkhawans” located in the vicinity and charges for cooking roties will be paid to them instead of providing subsidized atta.

This project would cost Rs.12 crore as a subsidy amount to the Punjab Government on the rate of Rs.5 to the cost of each meal as subsidy. The philanthropists would contribute Rs. 10 per each meal while every destitute will have to pay Rs.15 only for one time quality meal.

In this way, more than three hundred million poor of the poorest people of the province would be facilitated annually.

Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan directed the relevant officers of Industries, Commerce & Investment Department, Punjab to submit a detailed report within a week regarding identification of all those places in different cities where installation of mechanical tandoors and establishment of “Madni Dastarkhawans” was inevitable to mitigate the plight of the low income segment of society.

This report will be submitted to the Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif next week to make a final decision in this regard, the Chairman Cabinet Committee added.