TAXILA: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam has said that the government has announced a multi-billion rupee relief package to help people cope with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

At a meeting at the Attock deputy commissioner’s office to review the Covid-19 situation in the district, he said the Rs1.2 trillion package would help support the poor and local industry to offset the negative effects of the coronavirus outbreak in the country and provide relief to vulnerable segments of society through the Ehsaas programme.

Mr Aslam said that there has been a Rs15 per litre reduction in the prices of petroleum products including diesel, petrol and kerosene oil, as well as a reduction in taxes on edibles such as oil, ghee and pulses to lower the cost of household goods and facilitate the average citizen.

He added that Rs150 billion have been reserved for poor families across Pakistan, and each family will receive Rs3,000 a month.

He said the government is taking all the measures possible to halt the spread of the virus, and emphasised the need to raise awareness among citizens to achieve positive results from the measures taken so far.

Mr Aslam told officials to ensure vehicles carrying edibles, medicine and medical equipment are not stopped.

The meeting also reviewed the supply of essential items such as flour, sugar, wheat, pulses and ghee. The adviser was briefed that additional supplies of these commodities have been given to all divisions and there are no shortages in any district.

Deputy Commissioner Ali Annan Qammar told Mr Aslam that the district administration has taken elaborate steps to cope with Covid-19 in Attock. He said there is no confirmed case in the district, and only one suspected case has been admitted to an isolation ward.

A total of 14 quarantine centres have been set up in the district, and around 2,100 people have been screened, he said.

There is a lockdown on entry and exit points of the district, especially in the area bordering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and only food supplies are allowed through, he said. Mr Qammar said that edibles are available across the district, and grocery and other stores are open from 9am to 5pm, though medical stores are exempt.

A total of 21 suspected Covid-19 cases have been admitted in various hospitals in the distrct, he said, of which 20 tested negative for the disease.

Mr Aslam praised the arrangements made by the district and health authorities. He later visited the quarantine facility set up at the Government Technical College in Attock.

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2020