August 10, 2002	Saturday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 30,1423

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 9: The religious affairs minister, Owais Ghani, has directed the Zakat and Ushr wing officials to ensure transparent disbursement of funds meant for the poor.

The minister was visiting the Zakat and Ushr wing of the religious affairs ministry on Friday. He was briefed on the department’s performance by the senior joint secretary, Nusratullah Khan.

The official said about 100,000 people had been provided funds under the Zakat Rehabilitation Scheme till June 30. The deserving persons were provided relief to make them self-reliant, he added.

The minister was informed that the Zakat network in the country included 39,613 local Zakat committees, which were responsible for certifying the eligible persons. These committees also disburse money among the deserving people after approval by district Zakat committees.

The joint secretary said monitoring of funds’ disbursement was being emphasized at the levels of local Zakat committee and the ministry.

The minister said a verification mechanism should be evolved to ensure that the funds were being provided to the deserving persons.

He called for constituting teams, comprising four to five officials, to carry out on-the-spot verifications.