Sindh contacts Centre for data sharing for ration distribution among needy families

KARACHI: The Sindh government has contacted the relevant federal authorities, asking them to ensure data sharing and coordination for the emergency relief work for the needy people in the province hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis. The contact was established as Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh, who is heading the committee constituted by the chief minister to oversee the emergency relief work in the province, chaired a meeting on Friday to monitor the distribution of food bags among the needy families during the lockdown.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Dr Sania Nishtar attended the session from Islamabad via a video-link. Other participants of the meeting included Sindh Chief Secretary Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah, Senior Member Board of Revenue Qazi Shahid Pervaiz and Secretary Rehabilitation of the Sindh government.

The meeting discussed issues related to the data sharing and cooperation between the relevant federal and provincial government authorities for providing with food rations without any delay to the needy families whose livelihood had been severely affected due to the lockdown regime.

Speaking on the occasion, the provincial energy minister said efforts were being made to supply food rations at the doorstep of the families of the daily-wage earners who had been severely affected due to the lockdown.

He said the elected representatives, elders, eminent persons, religious leaders and teachers of every area were being involved in the process of supplying food rations to the destitute families during the lockdown.

He said they had been in contact with the federal authorities for the data sharing for doing the relief work in a speedy manner as in this regard negotiations had been done with the PM’s special assistant on poverty alleviation.

The minister said distributions of the food rations without having the needy people in queues who otherwise throng relief distribution sites in such emergencies had emerge as a major challenge for the Sindh government.

The provincial minister said the divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners posted in various districts had been given emergency orders to carry out the ration distribution work in Sindh in an expeditious manner.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has ordered an immediate release of another instalment of Rs500 million from the provincial government’s Corona Emergency Relief Fund for ration distribution among the needy families. Earlier the Sindh CM had released Rs200 million for the purpose.

In a separate statement issued on Friday, the Sindh energy minister expressed gratitude to the CM for releasing additional money for the ration distribution among the needy families.

He said this sum would be divided among the districts of the province on the basis of their population, and the biggest share in this regard would be given to Karachi.The provincial minister said he had been in contact with various opposition political parties to get their recommendations to do the ration distribution in a transparent, just, and speedy manner. He said a decision had been reached to avail the services of the motorcycle ride-hailing companies, such as Bykea, and online food delivery services, such as Food Panda, for door-to-door ration distribution in various districts.

The MNAs and MPAs in every district were also being involved in the process of ration dispatch, he added.