PM offers to share Ehsaas programme with India

Nearly 34% households in the neighbouring country won't be able to survive over a week without assistance, finds...

Prime Minister Imran Khan took to Twitter on Thursday and offered to assist the Indian government in providing support to its impoverished households.

Citing a report published in The Express Tribune, Khan tweeted that nearly 34 per cent households across India would not be able to survive for more than a week without assistance.

"I am ready to offer help & share our successful cash transfer prog, lauded internationally for its reach & transparency, with India," said PM Imran.

Acc to this report, 34% of households across India will not be able to survive for more than a week without add assistance. I am ready to offer help & share our successful cash transfer prog, lauded internationally for its reach & transparency, with India.https://t.co/CcvUf6wERM

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) June 11, 2020

According to the report, around 84 per cent households saw a decrease in their income since the lockdown prompted by the coronavirus was imposed in India. Nearly a third of all households would not be able to survive beyond a week without additional assistance.

The Indian government has announced three rounds of stimulus programmes amounting to nearly Rs21 trillion ($266 billion), and PM Imran offered to share the workings of the Ehsaas programme to assist with aid disbursement.

Our govt successfully transferred Rs. 120 billion in 9 weeks to over 10 million families in a transparent manner to deal with the COVID19 fallout on the poor.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) June 11, 2020

The Ehsaas programme, expanded upon the infrastructure of the Benazir Income Support Programme, with its scale and workings extended during Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's tenure, aimed to disburse Rs120 billion to millions of beneficiaries across the country with each family receiving Rs12,000 during the pandemic.

As of last week, roughly Rs117.49 billion had been successfully distributed among 96.63 million families across the country, according to Ehsaas officials, and further cash disbursement under the programme is ongoing.

The programme has been lauded by the World Bank, which deemed it instrumental in mitigating the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.