Financial assistance being provided transparently: Dr Firdous

SIALKOT: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said on Sunday the government was strictly implementing the policy of merit and transparency in providing financial assistance under the Ehsaas Programme.

Talking to the media at Hajipura-Sialkot after visiting Ehsaas Cash Payment Centre, she said the government was ensuring easy and smooth distribution of money as a financial assistance to the deserving, poor and needy people across the country.

The special assistant to prime minister said the government had successfully launched the biggest-ever financial assistance programme for deserving people in the history of Pakistan, as its fruits would reach the common people.

She said the government was providing financial assistance through Ehsaas Cash Emergency Programme and the programme reflected Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision for the poor and deprived segments of society.

She said that smooth, easy and transparent distribution of money to the deserving people was the important part of this Ehsas Programme, as the government was giving the financial assistance to all deserving people without any discrimination.

Dr Firdous said the government had so far distributed more than Rs16 billion among 1,380,000 deserving families across Pakistan.

She said that Rs 400 million would be distributed to 32,817 deserving families in Sialkot district purely on merit under Ehsaas Programme.

As many as 17,000 payment points were set up across the country to facilitate Ehsaas Emergency Cash payment of Rs12,000 per family, she said.

She said that safety measures had also been adopted to protect the payment centres from coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Dr Firdous greeted the Christian community on Easter. She said the Christian community was celebrating Easter with simplicity due to coronavirus pandemic.

She said that minorities were enjoying complete religious freedom in Pakistan and the government was making all-out sincere effort to safeguard their basic rights.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said the statement of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was tantamount to ruin the national unity in the fight against coronavirus.

In a tweet, she said the decisions in the National Coordination Committee (NCC) were made after consultations while Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah was its member.

The residents of Sindh were also the citizens of Pakistan, while Prime Minister Imran Khan was responsible for the protection of the rights of people of all the federating units, she added.

Dr Firdous reminded Bilawal that the PPP had been in power in Sindh for more than a decade and the health sector was a provincial subject after the 18th Constitutional Amendment.