Islamabad: Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan instructed the government to expand its mobile free-food programme in order to serve food to the poor fragments of society, particularly the labour class. This was reported by a news source on April 6.
Initially, the program by the name of ‘Ehsaas Koi Bhooka Na Soye’ (EKBNS) operated truck kitchens in Islamabad and Rawalpindi in order to distribute free meals. The prime minister stated that the programme will launch in Lahore, Faisalabad and Peshawar before Ramazan.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division Dr Sania Nishtar stated that currently, two trucks are serving the poor in twin cities and each truck feeds up to 1,500 people daily. The trucks can be found at designated service points and are equipped with clean cooking appliances in order to cook healthy meals.
The EKBNS programme operates on a public private partnership, with Pakistan Baitul Mal responsible for the operation of the truck kitchens and Saylani Welfare International Trust is tasked with the provision of meals. Furthermore, the Poverty Alleviation and Society Safety Division has established a ‘Donor Coordination Group’ to encourage funding into the programme.
