Aid package will benefit more than 12 million families through digital payments
Prime Minister presents Ramadan relief package worth Rs 38 billion. PHOTO: RADIO PAKISTAN
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday unveiled a relief package worth Rs 38,000 crore for the upcoming holy month of Ramadan, which will benefit more than 12 million families through digital payments.
At the ceremony, the prime minister said the old distribution system had been abolished last year because the items provided to needy families under that system were of low quality and people had to wait in queues, compromising their self-esteem.
He said with the introduction of a digital system, direct cash payments were made to deserving families under a new cashless mechanism last year.
The prime minister added that an independent audit of the Rs 20 billion allocated for the relief package the previous year found that the distribution mechanism was highly transparent and free of corruption.
The Prime Minister said that, based on the experience of previous years, the package will be distributed this year with renewed commitment and improvements. He added that each deserving family would now receive an enhanced amount of Rs 13,000.
He said a total of Rs 38 billion would be distributed through wallets and digital banking in the four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, which would involve significant efforts in terms of scale and implementation.
Read: Ramadan will probably start on February 19: Suparco
Speaking on the occasion, Poverty Alleviation and Social Security Minister Syed Imran Ahmad Shah said that Rs 10 billion had also been allocated for those already benefiting from the scheme.
He said digital banking and a cashless economy had not only improved transparency but also saved the public’s time and preserved their dignity.
Benazir Income Support Program Secretary Aamer Ali Ahmad said it would be a historic relief package as the government would roll out a comprehensive package based on compassion and empathy in line with the spirit of the holy month.
A total of Rs 38 billion had been allocated for the relief package, which benefited more than 12 million families and helped about 36 million people, he added.
He said the State Bank of Pakistan had also issued a framework for the distribution of the package, adding that a helpline (9999), mobile application and portal had been introduced to provide support.
