ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Baitul Mal desperately needs about Rs10 billion allocation in the forthcoming budget to successfully complete its welfare projects, it is learnt.

The social safety net has initiated a number of charity initiatives like construction of houses for senior citizens, orphans and destitute; and establishing food and lodging centres in hospitals.

These welfare projects are of paramount importance and will be a great achievement because these will reduce the plethora of problems faced by the helpless people. But their successful completion depends on raise in the next budget.

‘If we are provided Rs10 billion in the budget then we will show to the government how welfare of the poor is done,’ PBM Chairman Zamurad Khan said while talking to this reporter.

The PBM has planned to establish 10 centres meant for senior citizens in Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar and Islamabad. In these centres, aged people mostly, those who have no children and other relatives/friends to look after, will be provided with free accommodation with all facilities including food, clothing, entertainment and other necessities, he added.

Similarly, the orphanages will house all children who lost both of their parents. Mr Khan said they had planned to adopt these children on a permanent basis, making arrangements for all their needs including education, food and other requirements.

In the same way, centres will be established in all hospitals where patients and their relatives accompanying them will have the facilities of lodging, food and all other things.

Apart from this, the Baitul Mal runs a Food Support Programme in which a fixed amount of money is given to poor people for sustenance. It also provides financial assistance to poor people struggling for an honourable living.

It also provides cash to patients of chronic diseases, dowries to girls of too poor parentage, education stipends to poor deserving children and other such cases.

At present, the PBM has its budgetary share of Rs6 billion for the Food Support Programme and about Rs630 million for patients, education of deserving people.

The PBM chairman hoped that keeping in view the good performance of the social safety net, the government would increase their budgetary allocation.

Mr Khan said they would very successfully complete all their new projects if the share was increased.

Our 11-month performance is before the government and we hope the allocation is increased, he added.

He said an amount of Rs500 million was provided to the PBM even before the budget for the displaced people in NWFP.