Your Complete Guide to Ehsaas Rashan Riayat Programme

Update (October 4, 2022)

CM Inaugurates Punjab Ehsaas Rashan Riayat Programme in Lahore

Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi has recently inaugurated Punjab Ehsaas Rashan Riayat Programme in Lahore. It will enable underprivileged families to purchase oil, ghee, flour, and pulses at a 40 percent discount from the grocery stores registered under the initiative. 

According to the reports published by leading media outlets, the relief project will cost PKR 100 billion as it aims to provide edible items at affordable rates to nearly eight million families. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the chief minister said that 80,000 families from across the province had registered for the programme within an hour of its launch. Furthermore, he pledged to allocate more funds for this scheme in future.

It is important to mention that the registration date for Punjab Ehsaas Rashan Riayat Programme will continue for two weeks. Chairperson of the Punjab Ehsaas Programme Dr Sania Nishtar also explained that the registration process has been made easier so that deserving individuals can sign up without any hassle. The applicants can either get their families registered by texting their CNIC number to 8123 or by visiting the web portal of the programme.

The rising prices of everyday goods have hit the middle-income groups hard, and the lower-income group even harder. Items of everyday use are quickly becoming out-of-reach for many families across Pakistan, thus lowering their purchasing power and affecting their cost of living. In view of the substantial price hike and its subsequent effects on the marginalized segments of society, the government has recently launched the Ehsaas Rashan Riayat scheme to help to reduce the impact of inflation on those struggling to make the ends meet in these trying times. 

Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the highly anticipated programme during a ceremony in Islamabad, where he dubbed it as “revolutionary.” The initiative falls under the umbrella of the widely hailed Ehsaas programme, which has been designed to help underprivileged families in Pakistan by reducing inequality, providing them with better resources, and lifting them out of poverty. 

“Eligible families will get a subsidy of PKR 1,000 per month on the purchase of flour, pulses, ghee/cooking oil,” the premier said during the event. “The World Bank (WB) has ranked Pakistan’s Ehsaas Emergency Cash programme among the top four global social protection initiatives,” he added. 

Here is everything you should know about the Ehsaas Rashan Riayat programme – including its eligibility criteria and registration process. 

Ehsaas Rashan Riayat Programme – A Step Towards a Better Pakistan

The Ehsaas Rashan Riayat initiative aspires to help deserving individuals in Pakistan by providing them with subsidies on three grocery staples. According to the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division website, the programme will offer a targeted subsidy of PKR 1,000 a month to eligible families nationwide. The enrolled members will be able to avail 30 percent discount on the purchase of flour, pulses, and cooking oil (per unit) from the designated Utility Stores Corporation and local kiryana outlets.

The PKR 120 billion subsidy package will benefit nearly 20 million families, which amounts to approximately 130 million people or 53 percent of the overall population. In addition, the federal government and the participating provincial governments of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir are sharing financial resources in the proportion of 35/65 to support the scheme. 

Furthermore, the Ehsaas Rashan programme is being executed by the National Bank of Pakistan.

Who Is Eligible for the Ehsaas Rashan Riayat Scheme?

The eligibility requirements for the Ehsaas Rashan Riayat Scheme have recently been revised by the Ehsaas Rashan Riayat Steering Committee. Earlier, the government had deemed families with a poverty score of less than 39 and an income of less than PKR 31,500 per month to be eligible for the targeted subsidy package. However, the threshold was revised to PKR 50,000 per month to include more families in the initiative.

While applying for the Ehsaas Rashan programme is a relatively straightforward process, the applicants reportedly undergo a rigorous verification process to ensure transparency and reduce the probability of fraud.

How to Apply for the Ehsaas Rashan Riayat Programme?

To register for the Ehsaas Rashan Riayat programme, a member of the applicant’s family must send their CNIC number to 8171. It is imperative that the mobile number used to send the message must be issued against the same CNIC.

Alternatively, prospective beneficiaries can visit the Ehsaas Rashan Portal for online registration.

“Keeping in view the keen interest of people, we have decided to reopen the Ehsaas 8171 SMS service so that more deserving families can benefit from the Rashan Riayat programme of Ehsaas,” Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Senator Dr Sania Nishtar said in a statement a few weeks before the official launch of the programme. “The formal rollout of the programme in partnership with the National Bank of Pakistan is just on the anvil. In this regard, all arrangements are ready,” she had added.

The government will also use Ehsaas Socioeconomic Registry Survey to identify the underprivileged families and utilize a digitally enabled mobile point of sale system to serve the beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, kiryana retailers will have to visit the Ehsaas Rashan portal to register for the programme. The storeowners must have a bank account and an android phone to be able to provide subsidized cooking oil, flour, and pulses to the beneficiaries of the programme. Moreover, the Government of Pakistan has allocated an 8 percent commission for such retailers on each subsidized transaction. They will also be reportedly able to win cars, motorcycles, and mobile phones through lucky draws.

To learn more about the registration for the Ehsaas Rashan programme, please feel free to visit the Ehsaas portal.

On a side note, you can also check out our comprehensive guides on Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship Programme and Kamyab Pakistan Project. For the latest updates on the Ehsaas programme and its subsidiaries such as Ehsaas Rashan Riayat, please stay tuned to Zameen Blog. Feel free to share your thoughts and comments with us by emailing at blog@zameen.com. You can also visit our Facebook page to take a look at the latest real estate investment opportunities in your area.