RAWALPINDI    -     Prime Minister Shehbaz Shar­if said Monday that dedicated counters were being established for the needy people, not regis­tered with Benazir Income Sup­port Programme (BISP), to pro­vide free flour bags to them at the distribution centres under Ramazan Package.

"A huge number of people who are not registered with BISP, de­serve free flour bags as they are also living below the pover­ty line," he said while talking to media during his visit to a free wheat flour distribution centre.

He said National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) and Punjab Information Tech­nology Board took up the chal­lenge to include non-BISP peo­ple by proposing a solution to this issue and developing a sys­tem which would be fully opera­tional by today (Monday). 

Under this system, he said the non-BISP deserving peo­ple would be eligible to get free flour from the separate counters after registering their names in the system. The prime minister said from tomorrow (Tuesday), the people who have not yet re­ceived any flour bag, would be provided all three bags at a time so that they would not have to travel again for the purpose. 

He said this was the first time in the country's history that free flour was being provided to de­serving people, therefore the ad­ministration had to face a big challenge in the beginning but the process was getting stream­lined. He appreciated the Punjab government and Rawalpin­di administration who were working day and night to make the distribution pro­cess smooth and uninterrupt­ed. “Their passion to serve the poor during fasting is praise­worthy,” he added. He also ap­preciated the efforts of Pun­jab Chief Minister and Chief Secretary in the flour distri­bution process. PM Shehbaz Sharif said despite huge eco­nomic challenges, the gov­ernment was committed to working for the relief of the unprivileged segment of the society. He said the govern­ment was putting in full ef­forts to change the fate of Pa­kistan. He also called upon people from all walks of life to support the government in its pro-poor efforts. He said he would also pay unannounced visits to the flour distribution centres across the province to ensure smooth distribution of the bags to the people. Ear­lier, the prime minister met with the beneficiaries at the centre and inquire about the problems, they were facing while receiving the flour bags. The Rawalpindi Commission­er briefed the PM about the distribution process and in­formed that four centers were working in the city. The prime minister directed to re­solve all the issues faced by the people at the earliest. He also directed to accommodate other people from Khyber Pa­khtunkhwa, Kashmir and Gil­git-Baltistan but living in the Punjab. Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif visited free wheat flour (Atta) distribution point at Adiala Road and ordered officials to extend maximum assistance to the elderly and disabled cit­izens at the centre.