Endowment fund ‘a precious gift’

Minister says people are the real beneficiaries of Awami fund

QUETTA: Balochistan Minister for Social Welfare Mir Asadullah Baloch on Thursday called the Awami Endowment Fund as “a precious gift”, saying that such ventures would be effective in addressing financial needs of the people.

Asad, who is also Endowment Fund chairman, chaired the board meeting of the fund where provincial Finance Secretary Noorul Haq Baloch and other board members were also present.

“The people who have been suffering from severe diseases could get better treatment in best hospitals of the country like Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi and other cities on government expenses,” said Asad.

He added that “The provincial government will bear all the medical expenses of such patients’ getting treatment in any hospital”.

The chairman said that the fund established by social welfare department seeks transparency and would not tolerate any misuse or corruption. The district officers would make people aware about the usage of fund, he added.

The fund would be provided to everybody in the province without any discrimination, he maintained.

Asad asked social welfare officers to work hard with devotion to provide benefits of this fund to the poor and needy people in the province.

Balochistan government is trying to provide relief to the people, he added.

Last year, the provincial cabinet approved a Rs3,700 million project of Balochistan Awami Endowment Fund under which the poor people would be supported through cash transfers.

The fund has been allocated under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). Moreover, the Public Development Working Party (PDWP) has approved the PC-I of the project, he added.

Chief Minister Jam Kamal said: “As you know, recently the cabinet approved the Balochistan Awami Endowment Fund. Under this the poor will be supported through cash transfers.”