ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led federal government has allocated an overall amount of more than Rs416.2 billion in this fiscal year for social welfare initiatives and all the social safety institutions have been brought under the administrative ambit of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety (PASS) Division.

Despite the merger these departments are working separately under designated arrangements with specified budgets allocated to each of them.

According to details gathered by Business Recorder, the decision to bring all social welfare organisations under PASS Division is part of the federal government's policy to have a unified chain of command at the top-level to formulate a consolidated policy in social welfare sector.

At the same time, each social safety institution is working with a separate mandate and budget under PASS Division.

Out of Rs416.2 billion, the government has allocated a mega sum of Rs208 billion under Ehsaas Programme, out of which, Rs203 billion have been allocated under Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme. This programme is directly overseen by Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar.

In April this year, the federal government launched Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme and initially earmarked Rs144 billion to provide one-time financial cash assistance of Rs12,000 each to 12 million beneficiaries whose livelihoods were adversely affected as a result of restrictive measures taken to stem the spread of coronavirus in Pakistan. These 12 million beneficiaries were divided into three categories.

With the inclusion of categories III-A, IV and V, the funds and beneficiaries have been revised with Rs203 billion to be distributed among 16.9 million beneficiaries under Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme. Out of these Rs203 billion, around Rs150 billion were already distributed, in the previous fiscal year, by June 30, 2020, and the government has made additional allocation of Rs83 billion in the present fiscal year, official sources told Business Recorder.

Presently, Rs178.2 billion have been distributed among 14.7 million beneficiaries under Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme, sources said.

Data exclusively available with Business Recorder suggests that out of Rs203 billion, 51.57 per cent or Rs104.6 billion have been allocated for Punjab, 22.4 per cent or Rs45.5 billion for Sindh, 16.6 per cent or Rs34 billion for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 5.7 per cent or Rs11.7 billion for Balochistan, 1.9 per cent or Rs3.8 billion for Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), 0.94 per cent or Rs1.9 billion for Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and 0.70 per cent or Rs1.4 billion allocated for Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).

Apart from Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme, the government has separately allocated Rs200 billion to provide financial assistance under BISP (Benazir Income Support Programme) which is also headed by Sania Nishtar as its Chairperson.

The government sources say that 16.90 million beneficiaries of Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme include 4.27 million beneficiaries of BISP (Kifaalat Programme). Till December 2019, the total number of BISP beneficiaries was 5.9 million out of which 820,165 beneficiaries were declared ineligible and removed from BISP's list which included 142,556 government employees including 2,543 gazetted officers (Grade 17 to 21). The remaining number of BISP beneficiaries after removal of 820,165 beneficiaries has been 4.27 million. With the launch of Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme that saw the addition of 7.73 million new beneficiaries as well as 4.27 million BISP beneficiaries, the total number of beneficiaries was recorded at 12 million. With addition of more 4.90 million beneficiaries under Ehsaas Emergency cash programme, the total number of beneficiaries, till date, is 16.90 million.

Apart from BISP, Rs6.1 billion have been allocated for Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) in fiscal year 2020-21. PBM is headed by Managing Director Aon Abbas Buppi. The PBM offers financial support to deserving persons in education and healthcare sectors, child support, financial support for marriage and related initiatives. PBM also provides cash assistance to those deserving citizens whose houses are destroyed as a result of any tragedy.

In addition, some Rs2.1 billion have been allocated for PASS Division mainly to meet operational expenses and staff salaries, it is learnt. Secretary PASS Division Ali Raza Bhutta overseas the Division's matters.

Some Rs2 billion have been allocated for Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), an organisation that works under PASS Division and is headed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Qazi Azmat Isa and Chairperson Roshan Khursheed Bharucha.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020