K-P govt to launch Insaf Food Card

Each eligible family will be provided Rs2,100 cash assistance

PESHAWAR:

As an important step to provide relief to low income households, the government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has decided to launch Insaf Food Card Scheme under which cash assistance would be provided to people having less than Rs25000 per month income for purchasing essential food items.

Under the scheme, initially one million deserving households would be provided Rs2,100 per month which would cost the exchequer Rs25 billion annually.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has also been signed to this effect between K-P Food Department and the Bank of Khyber (BoK).

The signing ceremony was held on Wednesday with Chief Minister K-P Mahmood Khan as chief guest.

Besides provincial cabinet members Atif Khan, Shakeel Khan, Fazal Shakoor, Malik Shah Muhammad Wazir, Taj Muhammad Tarand, Mian Khaliqur Rahman, Riaz Khan, Arif Ahmadzai, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, high-ups of food department and BoK attended the ceremony.

As per MoU, BoK will open accounts for eligible households and they would be provided specifically designed Insaf Food Cards.

In the areas where BoK branches are not available, the maney would be transferred through mobile companies to wallet accounts of deserving people.

Talking on the occasion, the chief minister said that after the Sehat Card Plus Scheme, Food Card was another historic and pro-poor project of PTI government through which the provincial government has fulfilled yet another commitment made to the people.

He said that under the scheme initially financial support would be extended to one million households of low income in the province at a cost of Rs25 billion annually.

He said that the scheme would be initiated formally by the first of July this year. He termed the scheme of vital importance to support the vulnerable segment of society and assured that his government will utilize all available resources to give relief to the deserving people of the province.

Meanwhile, CM Mahmood Khan also paid a day-long visit to district Lower Dir where he inaugurated a number of development projects and addressed public gathering. The chief minister formally inaugurated Munda Grid Station and Jandool Grid Station which have been completed at a cumulative cost of Rs1.17 billion.

He also inaugurated Khyber Medical University Dir Campus and upgradation of District Headquarters Hospital Timergara which have been completed at a cost of Rs1 billion and Rs1.64 billion respectively. Similarly, he inaugurated two other projects namely gravity water supply scheme and improvement of Blambat Canal project which have been completed at a cost of Rs930 million.

The chief minister on the occasion also performed ground breaking of various new projects including Dir University, RCC Bridge at Panjkora River, Sports Arena and Gymnasium at Blambut, of Shaheed Chowk Timargara flyover, construction of road from Mian Kaly to Kambat bypass, construction of Talash Bypass Road and establishment of sports complex Timergara.

These new projects would be completed at an estimated cost of Rs4.80 billion cumulatively.

Addressing the public gathering at Dir Lower, the chief minister said that elected public representatives in the past always used hollow slogans and did nothing in practice for the people of Dir whereas provincial government of PTI has put this district on the path of sustainable development.

He added that all development projects were on track and would be completed within the stipulated timelines.

He said that Dir Motorway Project of provincial government was of vital importance for the entire region which would be completed at a cost of Rs36 billion, adding that physical work on the project would be initiated within the next three months.

Similarly, he said that establishment of Dir University would prove to be a milestone in promoting quality higher education in the region, adding that this project would be a great gift for the people of Dir.

Touching upon other development projects of Dir, Mahmood Khan said that four different tourism spots would be developed in the district.

Similarly, work on Timargara greater water supply scheme would be initiated very soon and project of Gopaam Irrigation Channel had been submitted to ECNIC for approval.

The chief minister said that some people wanted to put their names on the projects initiated by the PTI government but he will never allow them to use these projects for their political gains.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19^th, 2022.