7.5 million needy people to get cash: Ehsaas Programme enters second phase

With the completion of the first phase of cash distribution to 4.5 million families, the financial assistance to the remaining 7.5 million deserving population has started as part of the federal government's Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme to provide Rs12,000 each to 12 million families.

Led by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Dr Sania Nishtar, the distribution of Rs144 billion under Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme has been ongoing countrywide since April 9.

In the first phase of this programme, 4.5 million women already registered under Kifaalat Programme were provided cash assistance of Rs12,000 each.

While the first phase of the cash distribution drive was only for women, in the second and final phase, 7.5 million applicants both men and women declared eligible for the cash assistance, after their registration with national socioeconomic database through the government's designated SMS, web portal and district administrations concerned with the assistance of the relevant union councils, would be provided the cash assistance of Rs12,000 each.

The federal cabinet recently earmarked Rs200 billion to financially support the downtrodden segments of the society adversely affected by lockdown measures taken to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Out of these funds, Rs144 billion are to be spent to provide Rs12,000 each to 12 million families under the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme. Each family eligible for financial assistance under this programme would be provided at once Rs12,000 on the basis of four-monthly assistance of Rs3,000 per month.

Apart from Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme, the federal government, in collaboration with provincial governments in the Punjab and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has respectively launched Ehsaas Imdad Package Punjab and Insaf Imdad Programme Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to provide financial aid to the needy in the backdrop of the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

The Ehsaas Imdad Package Punjab is executed by the Punjab government under the supervision of Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar. Earlier, this programme aimed to provide Rs4,000 each to 2.5 million poor families in Punjab. Now, the amount to be provided to the poor families has been increased from Rs4,000 to Rs12,000.

The Insaf Imdad Programme Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is executed by the KP government under the supervision of CM KP Mahmood Khan. This package aims to provide Rs2,000 to each poor family. The exact number of families to be provided assistance under this programme would be determined after a detailed survey, it is learnt.