Meeting discusses preparations for Ehsaas cash

Abdul Hafeez Sheikh appreciates efforts of the poverty alleviation division for taking care of the poor

ISLAMABAD:

Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh on Thursday chaired a meeting to review the preparations for the issuance of the second instalment of the Ehsaas Cash Assistance Package in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the meeting, Sheikh appreciated the efforts of the poverty alleviation division for taking care of the poor and vulnerable sections of society in the difficult circumstances, He assured that the finance division would provide all possible assistance for provision of funds.

On the occasion, Dr Sania Nishtar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, said that in the first phase of the programme, Rs175 billion was distributed among 146,000 families under the Benazir Bhutto Support Programme (BISP).

On the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan, she said, additional cash assistance would be provided under the second phase to those who were most in need. She added that a revised list of beneficiaries of Ehsaas Emergency Assistance would be prepared for the second instalment because opening of business might have reduced the number of people in need of the government support.

Dr Hafeez Sheikh said that the finance division would provide all possible assistance to the social protection and poverty alleviation division. He directed for providing an update on transparency standards and expenditures in the first phase of the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Assistance Programme.