Ghee price will not be increased in Utility Stores after orders from PM Imran Khan

• Ghee is a basic necessity; its price should not be increased, says prime minister.
  
• After his directives, ghee will be sold at Rs170 per kg at Utility Stores.
• Ghee subsidy to Utility Stores has been increased under the government's Ramadan package.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has prohibited concerned authorities from hiking up ghee prices in Utility Stores across the country, sources said Wednesday.

Following the prime minister's disapproval of the price hike, according to sources, the finance minister also backed the premier's decision. "Ghee is people's basic necessity; its price should not be increased."

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) had earlier allowed a Rs30 increase in the price, but after PM Imran Khan's directives, the commodity will be sold at Rs170 instead of Rs200 per kg at Utility Stores.

Ghee subsidy, to cover the cost, has been increased at Utility Stores under the Ramadan package, sources added.

Separately, a Ramadan package worth Rs7.6 billion was approved by the ECC following a meeting chaired by Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh.

According to sources in the finance ministry, subsidies for 19 essential items at the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) were approved during the ECC meeting. In addition, technical grants for seven different institutions were also greenlit.