Wheat release by govt to reduce flour prices: Aleem.

LAHORE -- The government submitted 41 demands for grants worth Rs1.8 trillion at the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday, starting the process for approval of budget for fiscal year 2020-21. The opposition submitted 11 cut motions, of which six were approved for debate. Two demands worth over Rs188 billion were passed by the House with majority, rejecting cut motions presented by the opposition. The session started one hour and 30 minutes behind the scheduled time with Speaker Ch Parvez Elahi in the chair. The opposition submitted cut motions on food and grain, agriculture, police, education, health and miscellaneous. Only two of these were debated in the House.

Opposing the cut motion, Minister for Food Abdul Aleem Khan said that those ruling the country for 30 years were asking that why dams were not build. He said for the third time, the farmers got full price of wheat as his department set a target of 4.5 million tons for wheat procurement to ensure food security. He said at present the food department is in a deficit of Rs550 billion. He hoped the farmer would grow more wheat next year. He said the government would change the subsidy policy next year and only the deserving and poor would be given the...