LAHORE, Aug 13: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said measures have been taken to ensure transparency in the Rs22 billion Food Stamp Scheme, which is being launched on Independence Day (today).

According to a handout issued here on Wednesday, Sharif told a meeting on the food scheme that lists of deserving people had been compiled in a transparent manner.

He said it had been ensured that only deserving people benefit from the scheme. He said a strategy had been adopted to avoid mistakes in the lists of deserving people and the record had been computerised. The chief minister said special committees had been formed at provincial, district, tehsil and union council levels to ensure transparency in the lists.

He said 333,189 people would benefit from the scheme on its launch, adding that each beneficiary would receive a financial assistance of Rs1,000 per month through money order.

He issued instructions for provision of financial assistance to the needy on a monthly basis and added that the scheme would be monitored regularly.

Sharif said this short-term project had been planned for the poor.

He said that poor people’s children would be admitted to vocational training institutes under a long-term project soon. He said the taskforce on the scheme would meet thrice by Sept 30 to review it in detail and remove hiccups.