DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and chairperson of the Ehsaas Kafalat Programme, Dr Sania Nishtar, said on Friday that after a new survey the number of beneficiaries of Ehsaas programme would be increased to seven million families across the country.

She said this while addressing a news conference at Circuit House in Dera Ismail Khan. “In the new survey, the people should cooperate with our teams and enter their data so that deserving people could join the Ehsaas Kafalat Programme,” she added.

Dr Nishtar said that under the Ehsaas Kafalat Programme, other initiatives, including resource education, Ehsaas development, provision of interest free loans for women, were being taken.

During the survey, teachers of the education department in Dera Ismail Khan, Tank and South Waziristan districts will go door-to-door and collect the people’s economic data on tablets in the style of census and register them.

She said that the new survey for Ehsaas Kafalat Programme was continuing all over the country and so far 61 per cent survey had been completed.

This survey, she added, was superior to all kinds of ethnic, linguistic and political issues.

She urged the people to cooperate with the survey teams by providing them accurate information so that genuine and deserving households could get benefit from the masses-friendly initiative.

Later, Dr Nishtar visited the site of the survey in Basti Mekan and adjoining areas and met the beneficiaries and asked them about the performance of the survey staff.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2021