Sania Nishtar says NADRA offices to open on April 27 for Ehsaas cash disbursement

ISLAMABAD: All offices of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) would open on April 27 for disbursement of monetary assistance under the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme and to resolve issues pertaining to biometric identification, SAPM Dr Sania Nishtar said Friday.

Addressing a press conference, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Dr Nishtar said transparency was crucial in the Ehsaas programme.

"[The names of] some 820,065 people were removed from Category 1 in December 2019," she said, referring to the 'non-deserving' beneficiaries taken off from lists of the unconditional cash transfer project formerly known as the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). "Another 12,000 were eliminated yesterday," she added.

Stressing that the programme was completely nonpolitical and transparent, as advised by Prime Minister Imran Khan, the special assistant said a Category 2 was established in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In this category, "872,000 people have received cash so far," she noted.

'Historic programme'

Relevant details for each category were available on the programme's portal, Dr Nishtar added, saying it was necessary to do so for the public as it was their money.

"This is a historic programme in the context of transparency," she added.

Information from Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Balochistan could now be accessed, the SAPM mentioned. Details were divided according to provinces and districts, she explained, adding that a sum of Rs144 billion was being distributed through the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme.

"I request people to wait for the message containing the date [of collection] and then go to the centres. If, however, someone's identity card has expired, they can still receive the [cash] payment," Dr Nishtar said.

"All NADRA offices will be opened starting April 27. Those who have issues related to thumb impression [identification] can head to the nearest NADRA office and verify.

"My institution and I are trying to ensure money reaches the people as quickly as possible," she noted, adding that vetting of Category 3 applicants was underway.

'Ehsaas programme is close to PM's heart'

PTI leader and former spokesperson for Punjab chief minister, Dr Shahbaz Gill, who was also accompanying Dr Nishtar, said it was the centre's responsibility to have all stakeholders on board.

"When the federal government makes a decision, it has to keep in mind the labour, ulema, and the constitution," Gill said.

"The Ehsaas programme is close to the prime minister's heart. [It] is to serve the people," he added.

Gill also went on to once again remark on the ongoing conflict between health professionals, who have urged for extension in the coronavirus lockdown during Ramadan, and the ulema, who have succeeded in having mosques open in the holy month.

"If a decision has to be made about the mosques, then the opinion of the religious group and ulema is extremely important," he said. "People should not go out unnecessarily and pray at home.

"This is not the time for politics," he added.

Sindh government, doctors 'playing politics'

Gill's comments came a day after he leveled accusations against the government of Sindh of politicising the coronavirus situation and efforts to curb it. The provincial leadership, he had alleged, was pushing its narrative through doctors and other healthcare workers.

"It is sad that when the PPP's Sindh government got tired of playing politics on corona [virus], it pushed Sindh's doctors ahead to play politics," he had said. "I request the few political doctors not to play politics because that's what the Sindh government is for!"

A group of doctors had earlier this week made a public appeal to enforce a stricter lockdown to reduce the number of cases of the novel coronavirus. Gill, however, had claimed that the doctors had held their press conference on the behest of the PPP — Sindh's ruling party.

To date, doctors in Punjab and KP have also followed the lead of their counterparts in Sindh in calling for stricter lockdown measures as COVID-19 cases continue to rise exponentially, with Pakistan having recorded over 11,500 cases and Punjab leading with close to 5,000.