ISLAMABAD: A delegation of international development partners of Ehsaas during their visit to the One-Window Ehsaas Centre in Sitara Market on Monday said establishment of the centre was an impressive initiative to facilitate the common man.

The delegation was accompanied by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation Senator Dr Sania Nishtar.

British High Commissioner Christian Turner, World Bank Country Director Najy Benhassine, WFP Country Director Chris Kaye, FCDO Development Director Annabel Gerry, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative Knut Ostby, GIZ Country Director Tobias Becker, European Union Delegation to Pakistan Rural Development and Economic Cooperation team leader Stephen Langrell and Unicef Chief (Social Policy) Luis Gorjon were part of the delegation.

The delegation was briefed about the One Stop Shop operations of Ehsaas which integrate all benefits and services for 14 different target groups in one space. The centres will be expanded to all districts nationwide, to enable rule-based delivery of multiple Ehsaas programmes through a single window.

Members of the delegation inspected the services and met beneficiaries being served. They were able to see for themselves how the centre was helping people access Ehsaas services and benefits under one roof.

Having all Ehsaas services being offered in one place has made things easy for Ehsaas beneficiaries who previously needed to go to many offices to get their issues resolved, said Dr Sania. Mr Ostby said the centre was impressive and provided access to a wide range of services for health, education, social protection, financial inclusion and income generation, adding the ambition is for such centres to be established in each district.

Annabel Gerry congratulated Dr Nishtar.

Secretary Ismat Tahira, DG Noor Rehman, DG Naveed Akbar and DG Khalid Siddiq were also present.

The Ehsaas One-Window initiative has six components, first being the Ehsaas centre, whereas others include the back office digital interface, a digital information and services platform, a mobile app, the integrated database and the Ehsaas One-Window Beneficiary Selection and Targeting Policy.

The prime minister had inaugurated this centre on June 9, 2021.

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2021