Rs1.33 bn distributed among 100,000 families in Punjab

LAHORE: Under the Prime Minister’s Ehsas Kifalat Programme, financial assistance for daily wagers affected by lockdown has started and in first phase an amount of Rs1.33 billion (Rs12,000 per family) has been distributed among more than 100,000 families in 34 districts of Punjab except Lahore and Faisalabad. This was stated during a meeting presided over by Chief Secretary Major (R) Azam Suleman Khan to review coronavirus situation in the province.

Speaking at the meeting, the chief secretary said that the government was fully aware of the hardships being faced by daily wagers due to lockdown and in order to mitigate their problems the financial assistance programme had been initiated. He mentioned that the provincial government was working day and night to help people affected by coronavirus, adding that collective efforts were needed to overcome this pandemic. The SMBR told the meeting that distribution of financial assistance in Lahore and Faisalabad would begin in second phase. He said that around 450 centres were set up across the province for distribution of cash among deserving families.

By our correspondents

MULTANOKARA/GUJRANWALA/ FAISALABAD/ JHANG: Poor arrangements and stampede during the distribution of money under the Ehsaas programme caused the death of a woman and left 20 other beneficiaries injured at MA Jinnah School on Friday. Hundreds of women had gathered in the school to get the financial assistance when a woman, Naziran Bibi, suddenly fell on the ground and died. It caused stampede, leaving 20 others injured.

Talking to journalists, Punjab Minister for Energy Dr Akhtar Malik denied that the woman died due to overcrowding. He said that the deceased woman reached the centre before the scheduled time at 7am and died due to cardiac failure.

Meanwhile, in Okara, the Punjab government has started distributing Rs 12,000 among the poor families under the Ehsaas Programme. As many as 908 deserving persons of three tehsils of the district received Rs 1.977 million under the programme after complete scrutiny.

In Gujranwala division, under the Ehsaas Kifalat Programme, as many as 127,886 poor families of Gujranwala division have started receiving payment of Rs 12,000 as financial assistance.

Meanwhile, focal person Afzaal Qamar Warraich said that under the programme, 51,878 families from Gujranwala district, 19,144 from Gujrat, 11,800 from Hafizabad, 14,232 from Mandi Bahauddin, 14,446 from Narowal and 16,386 poor families from Sialkot would get financial assistance. He said that 11 relief centres had been set up in Gujranwala, 14 in Gujrat, five in Hafizabad, six in Mandi Bahauddin, four in Narowal and 10 in Sialkot.

Our correspondent from Jhang adds: Kotwali police on Friday lodged an FIR against the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) assistant director, a private commercial bank zonal manager and three people of a franchise on the charges of giving less payment to a deserving woman.

Reportedly, the FIR was lodged against the senior officials of BISP and others on the application of a Patwari instead of the aggrieved woman. When contacted, the BISP programme officials said during the disbursement a complaint was received against a private person but without any proper inquiry and allegedly due to pressure of business rivals an FIR has been lodged against the officials, who were not available at the centre.