Punjab Introduces New System to Monitor Food Item Prices

The Punjab government has devised a novel system to gauge and monitor the pricing of vegetables, fruits, meat, dairy, and other essential food commodities. Salma Butt, the Special Assistant to Punjab Chief Minister on Food Safety and Consumer Protection, unveiled this innovation during a session of the Price Control Council, co-chaired by her and the Punjab Agriculture Minister, Ashiq Hussain Kirmani.

Butt reiterated that ensuring affordable food prices is a key focus for the Punjab administration. She detailed measures aimed at curbing fraudulent inspection records and enhancing the efficiency of price control magistrates. Additionally, the government has updated the Qeemat App, now mandating live location tracking and selfie uploads for magistrates during shop and grocery store inspections.

It is now prohibited for magistrates to carry out inspections between 10pm and 5am. The council reviewed the work of 1,635 price control magistrates across Punjab. Officials reported that millions of inspections were performed between 2023 and August 2026, leading to the imposition of fines amounting to tens of millions of rupees, thousands of arrests, and the closure of numerous shops for violating regulations.

Butt emphasized that stringent checks on the pricing of naan, roti, and chicken are ongoing, with immediate action taken against cases of overcharging. She also noted a significant drop in tomato and potato prices, while sugar, flour, cooking oil, poultry, and pulses have remained stable over the past six months. Onion prices saw a slight increase due to the off-season, with 64% of the supply currently sourced from Balochistan.