Allocations for Ehsaas Programme enhanced to Rs260 bn

ISLAMABAD: The government announced a substantial increase in the allocations for poverty alleviation measures under its ongoing Ehsaas Programme, the Poverty Alleviation Fund and Baitul Maal under which 12 million households all over the country will be covered.

The budgetary allocations under this programme for the year 2020-21 were Rs210 billion, which have been enhanced to Rs260 billion for the financial year 2021-22. Out of this Rs260 billion, Rs150 billion will be for the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) while the rest will be for the Ehsaas Programme, the Poverty Alleviation Fund and Baitul Maal.

Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin in his budget speech said that this one is the largest ever cash transfer programme for second consecutive year through Ehsaas to 12 million households covering more than 40 percent of population to mitigate the adverse effects of the COVID pandemic. “For the Ehsaas programme, Rs260 billion are being proposed in the budget 2021-22. This by far is the largest allocation and reflects the vision of the prime minister to help the extreme poor segments of our society,” the finance minister said in his budget speech.