The Punjab Bait-ul-Maal Council has not provided financial assistance of a single penny to any needy person, particularly poor widows and orphans, for almost six months, it emerged on Tuesday.
Reliable sources told Business Recorder on Tuesday that the tenure of provincial Bait-ul-Maal council ended on May 31, 2018, which subsequently rendered dysfunctional. "Till date, neither the caretaker set-up nor the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government reconstituted the Council after a passage of almost six months, leaving the destitute people at the mercy of God," the official said.
"According to official data, around 12 to 15,000 poor people take financial benefits from the council annually. In this context, it can be assumed that over 1250 people were getting financial and other benefits on monthly basis, the sources said. "Currently, an estimated sum of Rs 280 million is in the account of the Council."
Responding to a query, they said the tenure of the Council is for three years which consist of 14 members including four women. Of them, the Council must have nine non-official members, according to rules, they added. They further said that the funds should be utilised for relief and rehabilitation of the widows and orphans, their educational assistance, medical assistances, charitable purposes and any other purpose of public utility particularly where the beneficiaries would be the disadvantaged section of the society or any other purpose approved by the Council.
Answering another query, they said the Council was paying in general around Rs 10,000 to every destitute person while an estimated amount of Rs 50,000 was also being paid in terms of medical assistance. "In addition, the District Bait-ul-Mal Committees were also providing medical assistance of up to Rs 100,000 which now stands dysfunctional," the sources concluded.