Islamabad: The government has decided to allocate funds worth PKR 200 billion for the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme and the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) under Budget 2020-21, according to news sources.
As per the publication, the said decision was made to sustain the vulnerable segments of society in evading the lingering negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the population census, the labour force survey and NADRA’s data has been synchronised and made available for easier identification of deserving people and to simplify the financial distribution process.
Furthermore, the BISP administrators seek to expand the initiative as the new people are identified under the ongoing survey. While remarking on the post-COVID situation in the country – with an estimated 12 to 19 million people expected to lose jobs – an official that the government will have to increase social support to accommodate the unemployed.
Meanwhile, the federal cabinet also approved funds of PKR 12,000 (each) for 12 million families with an estimated budget of PKR 144 billion. The beneficiaries of these initiatives (selection based on the population census of 2017) are divided into three categories:
4.5 million Kafalat beneficiaries for one-time tranche
4 million beneficiaries identified by the poverty threshold
3.5 million beneficiaries identified in the district data
During the COVID-19 pandemic crises, the government has extended an outreach cash transfer programme to 12 million households – which translates to 78 million people, over 32% of the population. This is the largest support and coverage in terms of cash transfers in the region.
Hazafa reveres the art of writing and has been turned into a property enthusiast by profession. Her daily survival kit includes; tea, coffee, keyboard and paperbacks.
