ISLAMABAD - Government has announced to computerize Utility Stores, established to provide food items to masses on competitive rates, across the country.

According to Ministry of Industries, one thousand stores will be turned into electronic management system in the first phase. The most prestigious international firms will be hired to automate the stores network spread across the country.

Presently, the stores are using old method of recording inventory. The plan of automation was discussed in detail during a meeting held on Thursday at Ministry of Industries.

Managing Director of Utility Stores and his team briefed the meeting about the challenges in manual record keeping system and how the organization will become profitable after the automation.

The minister directed the authorities to speed up the process. He said in order to eliminate corruption, sale points and inventory must be automated as soon as possible.

The officials informed the members that the Utility Stores management was negotiating with Benazir Income Support Programme and other private departments to form new ventures.

Utility Stores, employing more than 5000 people, is providing essential items to hundreds of thousands of people across the country.

Government-run Utility Stores has been facing many challenges. USC Managing Director, in a recent Senate Standing Committee meeting, informed that the yearly sales of stores have dropped to Rs25 billion. He said the annual sale of USC was Rs80 billion in 2013-14, Rs60 billion in 2014-15 and Rs25 billion in first six months of 2015-16.

Cut in subsidies, nepotism, corruption and mismanagement in the corporation has been highlighted at different forums.

How would Ministry ensure transparency in whole automation project and will further ensure that the new system is implemented so effectively that it results in ending corruption are the challenges Ministry has yet to address.