October 04, 2007	Thursday	Ramazan 21, 1428

MUZAFFARGARH, Oct 3: The much-trumpeted Punjab government’s Kifalat Programme had had its share of criticism when it transpired that the rich, including traders and industrialists, had been receiving letters promising the monthly assistance.

The Disaster Relief Management Society plan seems to bring no relief to the poor and deserving families in Muzaffargarh where many well-to-do people have been declared entitled to get Rs500 a month each.

District officials told Dawn that this programme was launched by Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi to provide assistance to 446,000 needy people in the province. The rich and non-deserving are allegedly benefiting from the programme.

Malik Tauqeer Dona, a district council official, confirmed to Dawn that he had received a letter two days ago when he was busy in an Iftaar dinner along with his friend. The letter handed over to him by the postman read that he (Malik Tauqeer) would be given Rs500 a month by the Punjab government, he said.

He said he felt embarrassed because he was a gazetted officer and did not require any monthly aid. He said he would take up the case with higher-ups against those who had prepared the lists.

Malik Allah Dad Khar, a ruling PML leader in Muzaffargarh, said he would complain to the chief minister about the issue because “some officials want to impede the party progress”.

The officials said all they knew about the Kifalat programme was that it was started three to four years ago for the needy.

Official running the programme in Lahore said these lists had been provided to them by the food department. The latter, however, said it had no information about the programme.

Union council nazims Nasir Almani and Iqbal Pitafi and the general public have demanded that the chief minister verify the lists through the district officials so that only the deserving people got the benefit from the programme.

Trader Muhammad Nawaz said he was surprised to receive the letter and demanded that the government form team to verify the list.