ISLAMABAD: Poverty alleviation and social safety division has launched a special awareness campaign about the recently announced subsidised ration programme for the poor.

In this connection, the government-owned social safety net ‘Ehsaas’ has prepared a plan according to which Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Dr Sania Nishtar will visit 30 cities to raise awareness amongst the citizens and to register grocery shops and retailers who are interested in joining the initiative.

Traders and sellers who register their businesses for the subsidised ration system will receive 5-8 per cent commission on Ehsaas’ subsidy amount.

This will be as an incentive for the purpose of encouraging shopkeepers and sellers serve more and more beneficiaries of the programme.

Launching the visit, Senator Nishtar along with senior officials visited small cities and towns along the G. T. Road. She went to Rawat, Mandra, Gujar Khan, Sohawa, Dina, Jhelum, Hassanabdal, Wah, Taxila etc.

“This week, I shall visit 30 small cities to speak to Kiryana retailers and public. This is important to guide people on the ground about the new programme, encourage them to participate in the programme and factor in their voices in the delivery,” commented Dr Nishtar.

During the visit, she walked in the mini-markets on the G. T. Road and met Kiryana merchants, local trader associations and general public. She herself enrolled several Kiryana owners on the portal at various sites.

Under the programme, a subsidy of Rs1,000 a month will be granted to 20 million eligible families on the purchase of flour, pulses and cooking oil. Per unit purchase, a 30pc subsidy will be given on these three commodities.

In the current fiscal year, the budget of the programme for the next six months is Rs120 billion under the federal-provincial cost sharing arrangement.

Taxila

Talking to mediapersons during a visit to Hassanabdal and Kamra, Dr Nishtar said 40 million people had submitted their data to the portal since the start of the registration process.

She said deserving beneficiaries will be identified through the Ehsaas National Socio Economic Registry Survey.

She said relief will be provided to 20 million families as per directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan by providing subsidies on flour, pulses and cooking oil or ghee.

She said the authorised grocery merchants who have bank accounts will download the mobile point of sale (MPoS) application on their cell phones to track the eligibility of eligible buyers and pass on the subsidy.

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2021