PTI govt to provide free cattle, rickshaws, push carts to poor

Rs15 billion will be distributed in the initial phase

ISLAMABAD: Under its poverty alleviation programme, 'Ehsaas', the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government will provide with free cattle, rickshaws and push carts to those living below the poverty line.

Prime Minister Imran Khan will also launch the Ehsaas 'Assets Transfer Scheme' on February 21, in Punjab.

The government has made the decision to provide the poor with cattle, rickshaws and push carts worth up to Rs60,000, and provide the recipients with the necessary training to turn the assets into a source of income.

In the initial stage of the programme, Rs15 billion will be distributed to 375 union councils in 23 districts of the country. The amount is expected to benefit 176,000 families.

More resources needed to alleviate poverty

Ehsaas Programme Chairperson Sania Nishtar said the initiative will be a respectable source of income for the people and thousands will be provided with economic opportunities.

Families from 10 districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), three in Punjab, seven in Sindh and three in Balochistan will be included in the initial phase.

Pakistan - a welfare state 

PTI government came into power with the slogan of transforming Pakistan into a welfare state similar in 2018.

PM reiterates resolves to alleviate poverty

“So this (Ehsaas Programme and microfinance) is the first step towards transforming Pakistan into the state of Medina,” Governor Sindh Imran Ismail said.

“Prime Minister Imran Khan is focused on the nation. He has great concerns for the people. He has initiated the single largest poverty alleviation programme, Ehsaas (compassion), in history,” he said.

Interest-free loans are helping the poor segment of society earn bread and butter and also enabling it to provide jobs to other people.