National Assembly Committee Rejects Proposal to Close Utility Stores Corporation

Islamabad:The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Industries and Production has rejected the proposal to close the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) and has instead recommended that the government keep the stores operational. The committee met on Thursday under the chairmanship of Syed Hafeezuddin, where the issue of shutting down USC was discussed.

During the meeting, members of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) strongly opposed the closure of the Utility Stores and argued that over 16,000 employees depend on the corporation for their livelihoods, making its closure unjustifiable. Committee members also reiterated that it had been previously made clear in Parliament that the Utility Stores would not be shut down, and any such decision would be considered an affront to Parliament.

Chairman Syed Hafeezuddin raised concerns about why the Finance Minister seemed to be actively pursuing the closure of the corporation. He also announced that the Finance Minister and the Minister of Industries and Production would be summoned to the next meeting for further clarification.

The committee advised the government to address the shortcomings of the Utility Stores Corporation and keep it operational, emphasizing that it should not be shut down. The members also discussed the financial crisis of Pakistan Steel Mills, with officials from the Ministry of Industries and Production revealing that the salaries of Steel Mills’ employees were being paid through loans from the government. Russian experts are also evaluating the situation, and online meetings have been held with them. The experts are expected to present a final report by June 23.

The committee urged for a focus on the revival of the Steel Mills rather than its dismantling and requested a detailed report on its financial matters.