MANSEHRA: The food department has increased the price of subsidised wheat flour amid the rising prices of essential commodities.

“We’d to hike the subsidised flour’s price to reduce the burden caused by the Punjab government’s move to increase prices of both wheat and flour,” district food controller Ansar Qayyum told reporters here on Monday.

The official said that a 20kg wheat flour bag would be sold at Rs1,295 from today (Tuesday) against the current subsidised rate of Rs980.

He said the price of a 10kg flour bag had also gone up from Rs490 to Rs648.

Mr Qayyum said that the district food department provided subsidised wheat to 17 local flour mills for the provision of wheat flour at the subsidised rate to the people across the district.

He said that the millers supplied subsidised flour to Mansehra city, Balakot, Oghi, Chatterplan, Darband, Baffa, Shinkiari and other towns and villages on trucks and mini-trucks on alternative days.

The DFO said that the assistant commissioners and representatives of the food department regularly paid surprise visits to the local markets to ensure smooth supply of subsidised yet quality wheat flour to the people.

He also said that his department had fixed the ‘release price’ for wheat at Rs2,300 per 40kg, including that of bardana(gunnysack).

Meanwhile, deputy superintendent of police in Shinkiari Sabir Khan was transferred on Monday.

The transfer came just four months after Mr Sabir’s posting.

According to the police department,Mohammad Hafeez will be the next DSP for Shinkiari area.

Also in the day, Lower Kohistan district police officer Zulfiqar Khan Jadoon was transferred and posted as the director of the Police Academy, Mardan.

Employees of the DPO’s office held a farewell party for him in Pattan area and gave Mr Jadoon gifts.

The outgoing DPO thanked members of staff for cooperation in discharging duties.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2022