ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar on Tuesday said the federal government awarded scholarships worth 8.2 billion rupees to 90,000 “deserving yet talented” students, out of which 51 percent were females, in the outgoing financial year 2020-21.

She shared these details in a visit to Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) Islamabad to hold a policy consultation on Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship Programme with brilliant and deserving students.

The need-cum-merit based Ehsaas scholarship covers 100 percent tuition fee and a monthly living stipend, she said in an official statement issued after her visit.

“The students shared that they were able to pursue their higher education only because of the support they received through Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship Programme. Otherwise, their families would have to sell jewellery and livestock as they were unable to pay for their university fees and expenses,” it said.

Girl recipients under Ehsaas undergraduate scholarships appreciated that half of the scholarships are reserved for girls, the statement added.

“Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship Policy has so been designed to ensure that no student is deprived of higher education only because he or she is unable to meet the financial requirements. Every student who is admitted to a four or five-year undergraduate degree programme at any of 119 public sector universities with a family income below the threshold of Rs 45,000 per month is eligible to apply, and scholarships are given out based on merit,” Nishtar said.

On the occasion, Vice Chancellor QAU Dr Muhammad Ali said, as many as 451 Ehsaas scholarships have been granted to deserving QAU students in two years. These scholarships are being awarded on transparency and merit to help the deserving students pursue higher education, he said.

Students who interacted with Dr Sania Nishtar were from diverse regional and social backgrounds, studying in different undergraduate disciplines, including Bioinformatics, Economics, Social Sciences, Archaeology, Botany and Pakistan Studies, the statement said.

Sania Nishtar, who is also a senator from the ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), recently said on the floor of the Senate that six-month stipend to deserving families under Ehsaas Programme (Rs 2000 per month) has been increased from Rs 12,000 to Rs 13,000 in new budget. The number of Ehsaas Kafaalat beneficiaries would also be increased from seven to 10 million in the upcoming financial year, she said, adding that Ehsaas Nashonuma Programme would be expanded to 50 districts across the country.

She also recently announced while presiding over an e-Kachehri that second phase of Ehsaas Emergency Cash (EEC) Programme would be launched soon as it has been approved by Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet.

She said financial cash assistance of Rs 12,000 would be provided to each of the four million additional households.

These additional households will be identified through the ongoing Ehsaas survey which is 91 percent complete and scheduled to be fully completed by June 30, Nishtar said at the e-Kachehri.

“The purpose of launching the second phase of EEC is to compensate affected households for unemployment caused by COVID-19 crises,” she said.

In the first phase of EEC, Rs 179 billion were distributed among 14.83 million beneficiaries with the provision of Rs 12,000 to each beneficiary.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021