Poor families to get subsidies on food items: CM

LAHORE: Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has termed Ehsaas Ration Programme a flagship drive to provide subsidies to poverty-stricken families on essential items, including flour, cooking oil and pulses.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Social Protection Sania Nishtar called on Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar here on Thursday to discuss Ehsaas Ration Programme. President and NBP CEO Arif Usmani, Senior EVP (digital banking) Muhammad Humayun Sajjad, Social Welfare Minister Syed Yawar Abbas Bukhari, Planning & Development Board chairman, secretaries of finance, industries and social welfare departments and others were also present. Talking on the occasion, the chief minister termed Ehsaas Ration Programme a flagship drive to provide subsidies to poverty-stricken families on essential items including flour, cooking oil and pulses.

Karyana shops would be registered in the province for this programme and ministers, parliamentarians, as well as administrative officials, would be assigned to make this programme a success, the CM said. He extended full support for the success of the Ehsaas Ration Programme and announced leading it in Punjab.

This initiative would provide genuine relief to impecunious strata, he said and affirmed that looking after indigent stratum was a responsibility of the state. Sania Nishtar expressed desire to open one-window centres in every tehsil and thanked the chief minister for the assistance provided by the Punjab government. You have already played important role in the success of the Ehsaas Programme, she said and disclosed that a targeted subsidy would be provided.

sO removed: On the directions of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Section Officer Muhammad Shafiq of Specialised Healthcare & Medical Education Department (SH&ME) has been removed from his post and directed to report to S&GAD.

SH&ME Department secretary has issued a departmental order along with initiation of an enquiry. This action is taken on complaints of extortion of money for ad hoc recruitments. The CM said there is no room for corrupt officials in the province, adding action is taken whenever a complaint has come up.