Ehsaas emergency cash payments for Category-2 tee off

Islamabad: The Ehsaas Emergency Cash program Wednesday commenced disbursements to the second category of beneficiaries enrolled through the 8171 SMS service. They were declared eligible based on their socio-economic and wealth profiling checks.

In this connection, the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Dr. Sania Nishtar visited the cash distribution campsite at IMCG Girls College, G-10/4, and interacted with beneficiaries who had come to collect their payments. Each one of them had a customized message on their phone addressed to them with their names to visit the nearest payment centre on April 15, and collect emergency cash handout of Rs. 12,000.

Briefing media about these Ehsaas category-2 beneficiaries in need, Dr. Sania stated, “Each one of these beneficiaries was either the wife of a labourer whose livelihood has been badly affected by the coronavirus crisis or is a domestic helper herself who has been laid off by the employers. Without any food, they are at the brink of running out food rations. So these Rs. 12,000 come to them at a very critical time.”

Dr. Nishtar also thanked the Islamabad Capital Territory Police and district administration, Islamabad, for facilitation in securing and managing queues and crowds at designated campsites.

She also spoke to retailers and informed them about the Cabinet’s decision on waiver of advance withholding tax on commission collected under section 233 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 from branchless banking agents. She urged them to do an effective crackdown against corruption.

The Ehsaas Emergency Cash payment notifications will go to new Ehsaas Emergency Cash recipients registered through 8171 in a staggered manner over the next seven days. In the initial batch, women will get payments and in next batches, men will start getting payments.

To-date, 83.61 million SMS have been received. The analysis is underway and the deadline for registration is April 19 midnight. To-date, Ehsaas has disbursed Rs37.608 billion emergency cash to 3.134 million deserving families.