HASSAN ABDAL: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Dr. Sania Nishtar Sunday said that more than one million people have registered successfully for Ehsaas Rashan Riayat Program so far.

As many as 40 million people have submitted their data in the portal since the start of the registration process, she said while talking to the media during her visit to the Sheikh General Store in Hassan Abdal.

Giving details of the program, Dr. Sania explained that an individual of the household can be registered under this program. A monthly subsidy of Rs.1000 / - will be given to each family.

Dr. Sania said that massive awareness is being raised among shopkeepers on using the Ehsaas Rashan Riayat Program web portal.

She said that relief will be provided to 20 million families under this initiative as per directives of the Prime Minister Imran Khan through providing subsidy on flour, pulses and cooking oil or ghee. The subsidy of Rs. 22 will be given on flour, Rs. 105 on ghee and Rs. 55 on pulses, she said.

She said that the present government is prioritizing providing relief to the masses and resolving their issues.

Dr. Sania said that his division is providing step-by-step guidance to the deserving families as well as the grocery merchants about the registration process and eligibility of the program.

She said that the deserving beneficiaries will be identified through the Ehsaas National Socio Economic Registry Survey. She said that low-income families will register through the Ehsaas Rashan portal through their Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) and the mobile number issued on this CNIC. She said that only one member of the family will be eligible to register on the portal. Similarly, grocery merchants can also register themselves on the portal. She emphasized that it is important for the grocery merchants to have a valid bank account and those who are without accounts can open their bank accounts at the nearest branches of National Bank of Pakistan. The authorized grocery merchants who have bank accounts will download the Mobile Point of Sale (MPoS) application on their cell phones to track the eligibility of eligible buyers and pass on the subsidy.