ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday accorded approval to the ‘Ehsaas Emergency Cash Information Portal’ to provide each and every detail of the government’s flagship Ehsaas Cash Distribution Programme to people.

The prime minister vowed to expand the programme to provide relief to the poor and daily wage earners during the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

At a meeting, the prime minister expressed satisfaction over transparency and observance of merit in the programme and said it was being run without any political influence and considerations.

Special Assistant to the PM on Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar informed the prime minister about the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Information Portal.

“The government is striving to provide maximum assistance to deserving people in this difficult hour to help meet their needs,” the prime minister said.

He said the programme was being run transparently and as per merit and praised Dr Nishtar and her team for making this possible.

PM vows to expand programme to provide relief to the poor during lockdown

The Ehsaas Emergency Cash Information Portal will ensure transparency in the process of disbursement of financial assistance among deserving people and make all information in this regard public.

Dr Nishtar said through the portal any person could get information regarding number of families benefiting from the programme as well as the total amount disbursed at district and tehsil levels.

She said the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme was aimed at providing relief on preferential basis to people who were directly affected by the lockdown. “In addition to daily wagers, lower-middle class people have been badly affected due to closure of their businesses and livelihoods,” she added.

Giving details of the programme, she said so far her department had received 140 million SMSs and 5m families had been given the cash assistance of Rs12,000 each. “The remaining families will receive the notification in 10 days’ time about their eligibility and further steps to be taken,” she added.

The programme, she said, was not meant for the people who were receiving regular salary from any government or private job. “Income of a person is determined from the data about him/her as people owning cars, motorcycles, passports and other valuable assets are not considered eligible for this financial assistance,” she added.

The SAPM said a new method was being devised for people whose fingerprints did not match with the record due to injuries or other issues, adding that strict action was being taken against those people who were using the fingerprints of others to extract money.

“All Pakistanis, including members of minority communities, are eligible for this programme as it does not discriminate against any minority community,” she said.

Dr Nishtar said the second phase of the programme would continue during the next fortnight and payments would be made in phases to discourage crowds of people at the payment centres.

She said 12m families, equivalent to more than 80m people, would receive cash assistance by the time the programme is completed.

She said it was important to understand that people who had nothing in assets would be given preference in the disbursement of cash.

Later, Prime Minister Khan visited the Ehsaas Cash Distribution Centre in Rawalpindi and inspected the process of cash distribution among deserving people.

Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and Dr Nishtar accompanied the PM.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2020