Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday appreciated the effective and transparent implementation of the Ramazan Relief Package and directed officials to emulate the model in future government schemes.

While chairing a meeting to review the implementation of the package, the premier lauded the performance of the government’s core team and supporting institutions.

He said that the first-ever digital wallet was introduced under the package, with funds delivered to the beneficiaries in a transparent manner.

PM Shehbaz highlighted that the scheme was introduced countrywide, which included Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

He also appreciated the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), National Database and Registration Authority, and other supporting institutions for ensuring transparency in the process.

He told the meeting participants that complaints received during the execution of the package would be considered for future planning.

During the briefing, it was announced that 79 per cent of the funds had been delivered to the beneficiaries. Additionally, a total of 2,224 employees were deployed, and urgent steps were taken to resolve the 1,273 complaints recieved.

Besides that, 1.9m digital payments were made, with 951,191 digital wallets used, which is part of the government’s move towards Digital Nation Pakistan vision.

The participants were told that 823,653 women and 2,541 persons with disabilities also used digital wallets to receive funds.

Moreover, the meeting was told that the government’s awareness campaign on the Ramazan Package was conducted through electronic, print, and social media.

Additionally, banks and other partnering institutions had made 6.2 million robocalls, 178,700 outbound calls, and had sent 6.1 million SMS messages to raise awareness about the facility.

Ramazan relief package sets a precedent for future schemes, says Ahsan

Meanwhile, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal hailed the success of the Ramazan package, stating that it was conducted without any intermediatory.

Speaking at a press conference today, Iqbal said that the package had set a new precedent, hailing the public-private partnership.

“The government, under the digital Pakistan vision, decided to use digital wallets for mass and digital transfer,” he said, adding that previously, people would complain about leakage through the intermediaries.

He added that no other medium or utility store corporations (USC) were used for the Ramazan package this time around, resulting in less leakage.