Ehsaas programme to focus on underprivileged people: Hammad

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Government has initiated an Ehsaas programme with special focus on the underprivileged, to provide them nutritious food through a ration card scheme and interest-free loans.

In his budget speech on Tuesday, the Minister of State for Revenue Hammad Azhar said the beneficiaries of Ehsaas programme will be those who are extremely poor, orphans, widows, the homeless, the differently-abled, medically-challenged, and the jobless.

He said a new ration-card scheme will provide nutritious food to 1 million deserving people. Special nutritious food will be provided for infants and mothers, he added.

He said as many as 80,000 deserving poor will be provided interest-free loan each month. A total of 6 million women will get stipends in their saving accounts and increased access to mobile phones, he said.

The State Minister said women and children through 500 Kifalat centres will be provided access to online courses. Wheelchairs, hearing aids and related provisions shall be provided to differently-abled persons, he said and added the work to build ‘Ehsaas homes’ for the elderly has already started.

Hammad Azhar said special incentives will be provided for parents to send their children to schools in lagging districts.

He said the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) under Ehsaas programme is using unconditional cash transfer intervention with Rs 5,000 per quarter to 5.7 million poorest of the poor families, with an annual budget of Rs 110 billion. Keeping in view current inflation level, government is going to enhance the quarterly stipend from Rs 5,000 to Rs 5,500, he said.

He said National Socio-economic targeting data is also being updated and expected to be completed by May 2020 with coverage of 32 million households and 200 million population.

As many as 3.2 million children of BISP beneficiary families in 50 districts are receiving conditional cash transfer of Rs 750 per quarter, helping government to reduce the drop-out ratio. Expansion to further 100 districts is planned, he said.

He said the government plans to enhance stipend amount for girls from Rs 750 to Rs 1,000 from the next year.