Poverty alleviation programme: Ration scheme for 1m deserving people

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Security and Poverty Alleviation and Chairperson Ehsaas Programme Dr Sania Nishter Saturday said a new ration card scheme would be started soon to provide nutritious food to one million deserving persons.

Talking to the media here, she said special nutritious food would be provided to infants less than two years of age and vulnerable pregnant and lactating women to avoid stunting. Under the Ehsaas programme, Nishter said 80,000 deserving poor would be given interest-free loans, besides providing them with sewing machines, cattle, and retail shop provisions to start own business. She said social security and poverty alleviation budget was being doubled. “This is a significant step towards achieving the goal of a truly welfare-oriented Pakistan and make optimal use of resources for benefit of the poor,” she said.

She said as many as six million women identified transparently through the ongoing Socio Economic Registry Survey would get stipend in their savings accounts and their access to cell phones would be increased. “500 Kifalat Centres would provide online access to free courses to poor women and their children. They would also have access to free school lessons, free IT courses, free adult education and certificate courses in stitching, kitchen gardening, electrician and plumbing courses. “The government has decided to provide free wheelchairs to all physically challenged people, free hearing aids to the deaf and free white canes to the blind under the Ehsaas Programme,” she said. Dr Sania said the Nadra-registered physically challenged people would be provided with Insaf cards for free treatment to self and family up to Rs720,000 from registered hospitals, adding that two percent disabled quota had been reserved in the government jobs.

The National Council for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons (NCRDP) monitors the implementation of 2 percent quota in the public sector. If the implementation is not ensured, the entities are bound to deposit the salary of vacant posts. The Supreme Court has already directed all the ministries to inform whether 2 percent quota has been implemented or not. She said one percent quota is to be given for the disabled in the Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme as well.

The Ministry of Planning and Development Reforms has directed that disabled unfriendly PC-1 of any project should not be approved. She said the deserving students would be provided with tuition fee, hostel fee under scholarship scheme being launched in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission (HEC). She said yet another scheme — Girl Voucher Scheme (second chance) — would be initiated under the Ehsaas Programme to give a chance to the drop-out girls to restart education. Special incentives would be provided to parents of lagging districts on sending their children to schools.

Panahgas (shelter homes) would be constructed in every major city for the homeless, she said, adding the poor would be provided with loans for constructing their own homes. As many as 10 million families would get Insaf cards by years end for getting medical treatment. Tahafuz programme is being introduced to assist the people within 48 hours, who do not have Insaf cards and are stuck by sudden medical conditions. It will cover court cases including, illness and accidents, etc.

She said pensions for the elderly given by the EOBI have already been enhanced from Rs5,050 to Rs6,500. Building Ehsaas homes for the homeless elderly people has begun. The number of orphanages is being increased and provided with more facilities. She said registration of daily wage earners and domestic workers would be started to provide them with the EOBI cover. The number of community welfare attaches is being increased for overseas Pakistani workers.

Subsidized tickets would be provided to those overseas Pakistani workers, who did not visit home in the last seven years. Furthermore, she said an existing dormant organisation is being revitalized to safeguard interests of the most marginalized poor seasonal workers, bonded labour, street children and transgenders.