It was in April this year that the Government of Punjab launched the Qeemat Punjab mobile application in all 36 districts of the province. The app developed by the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) can be downloaded on mobile phones and provides a list of prices for everyday products. The purpose, obviously, is to help users check whether the shopkeeper they are buying these products from, is charging the right price. The app is available in both English and Urdu which makes it easy to use for a diverse consumer base.

The app also enables users to raise objections over over-pricing by shopkeepers, and report the matter to the authorities. Location services activated on mobile phone gives area-specific information whereas a special monitoring team is designated to investigate these complaints in every district.

Recently, the government has come under pressure for failing to control prices of everyday items and profiteering mostly by retailers. Most citizens have dismissed measures like launching of Qeemat app a mere eyewash. Their concern is that having this option is of no use if the prices of basic commodities cannot be brought down. So, the question that arises in this scenario is that how can this app be made more effective, and relief be provided to the masses reeling under the pressure of inflation.

Adnan Ahmed, a resident of Walled City, complains that he has found the prices mentioned in the app unrealistic. He says that the approved price of mutton is Rs 900 per kilo which is not possible in his part of the city. He says they are buying mutton from Rs 1,100 per kg to Rs 1,300 kg depending on the body part of the animal they are purchasing. Ahmed shares that a meat seller has told him that this rate is not viable even if he slaughters the animals at home, uses eroded weights and pumps water in the slaughtered animal’s body. “God knows how they determine the prices.”

Direct General, IT Operations, PITB Faisal Yousaf says Qeemat Punjab does not necessarily check the reasons behind inflation and shortage of goods but depicts the prices of essential commodities. The aim behind this app is to ensure price control in terms of notifying citizens about the prices of vegetables, fruits and other household items set by the government on a daily basis. The interface, he says, is user friendly and little education and technical skills are therefore needed to operate the app as the complete user flow merely consists of few clicks.

Yousaf points out that the app directly correlates with the price control regime of government to effectively monitor the commodities prices. As government doesn’t have an exclusive right on production, distribution and consumption, the feedback mechanism was especially incorporated to keep tabs on those who are not adhering to rate lists notified by respective district governments. It has also enabled relevant price magistrates to take appropriate action, he adds.

He says Qeemat App is not just an app; it is a system which integrates several initiatives such as price magistrate app to take action against profiteering under the law on users’ complaints.

The app has been downloaded nearly half a million times; about 250 complaints on average are being received through this app. Complaints can be launched within contact-us/Feedback section of the app by adding required details and by attaching an image as evidence. The price magistrate app is working on the administration side and the price control magistrate, are required are required to resolve the complaints through the app which is directly monitored by the district governments, the Industries Department and the monitoring team.

“In our candid opinion government writ should be established and price control magistrate must take action in a timely manner using this app. The app should also become a permanent part of government’s routine operations while controlling or notifying/updating commody prices,” he adds.

A senior officer of the Lahore district government says the Punjab government plans to move a step further and establish farmer markets at tehsil level to start home delivery in selected areas. The initiative would help government ensure availability of essential commodities at fixed prices in the province and put an end to the role of middlemen and their margin.

The official says the prices are uploaded in the app on a daily basis and in the case of vegetables the auction rates at the wholesale vegetable markets are made the basis but still the retailers challenge these prices. The monitoring teams cannot visit every place all the time and when they reach a place for inspection the prices are brought down by the shopkeepers, he adds. But, he says, in the case of items like wheat flour, sugar and ghee prices are revised after some time and are not fixed on a daily basis.

Zahid Hussain, a sales executive in Lahore, tells TNS that he knows very few people who have downloaded this app and are using it. In a province comprising a population of 120 million, 0.5 million downloads are nothing.

“Maybe the low number is for the reason that the people do not trust the authorities and the effectiveness of this app in bringing down the prices or checking profiteering. This perception will have to change,” he adds.

The writer is a staff member. shahzada.irfan@gmail.com