ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: As many as 12 million deserving families across the Country have begun receiving financing assistance worth Rs 12,000 each from today under the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Program.
In a media briefing in Islamabad on Wednesday about the prevailing Coronavirus situation, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the process of disbursing Rs 144 billion to 12 million families throughout the Country will be completed within the next two and half weeks.
The prime minister assured that the distribution of funds to the deserving families under the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Program will be totally merit-based, transparent and non-political what may come.
کرونا وائرس کی وجہ سے پیدا ہونے والی معاشی صورتحال سے دیہاڑی دار طبقہ متاثر ہو رہا ہے اگر آپ احساس ایمرجنسی کیش امداد کے مستحق ہیں یا کسی ایسے ضرورت مند کو جانتے ہیں تو اس کا شناختی کارڈ نمبر8171 پر ایس ایم ایس کریں. pic.twitter.com/DJGrL5suv5
— Ehsaas (@Ehsaas_Pk) April 7, 2020
Imran Khan informed that the Coronavirus Relief Tigers Force will continue to identify deserving poor people at the district and union council level, and these will be added in the list of deserving people.
Cautioning that every single person out of 100 persons in Pakistan might be infected due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the prime minister urged the citizens to understand the gravity of the Coronavirus situation and demonstrate responsibility by adopting all necessary precautionary measures to contain the virus.
The prime minister urged the opposition leaders, parliamentarians and civil society to support the government in its endeavors to steer Pakistan out of COVID-19.
Outlining the details of the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Program, the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Dr. Sania Nishtar said that the government has received over 30.5 million SMS on 8171 for financial assistance under the program.
Dr. Sania Nishtar said that over 12 million deserving families will be awarded Rs 12,000 each after biometric verification.
The Special Assistant asked the people to contact toll-free helpline number 0800-26477 for any query.
اسلام آباد میں مزدوروں سے احساس ایمرجنسی کیش پروگرام کے حوالے سے بات چیت ہوئی۔ مزید برآں پروگرام میں محنت کشوں اور مزدوروں کی شمولیت کو یقینی بنانے کیلیئے رضاکاروں کی مدد لی جائے گی تاکہ وہ مستحقین کیلیئے8171 پر ان کے شناختی کارڈ نمبر ایس ایم ایس کر سکیں۔@Ehsaas_Pk @pid_gov pic.twitter.com/SNziUNCq57
— Sania Nishtar (@SaniaNishtar) April 7, 2020
Briefing the media, the Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lt General Muhammad Afzal said that the Personal Protective Equipment will be sent to all provincial hospitals during the next three days.
Lt General Muhammad Afzal said that at present, 22 laboratories are functional across the Country while equipment for establishing further 12 laboratories has been dispatched to the provinces.
The Chairman NDMA said that 100,000 testing kits will arrive in Pakistan tonight out of which 35 kits will be given to Sindh, 15 to Balochistan while 25 each will be given to Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He informed that 2,35,000 more testing kits will be imported on Friday.
