ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: On three years of completion of Ehsaas, Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired the event at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat in Islamabad on Monday.
Addressing the ceremony, the prime minister felicitated Ehsaas team on successful and fastest deployment of all social protection and poverty reduction programmes of Ehsaas in three years. He richly praised the hard work and commitment of Ehsaas team for alleviating poverty in the Country.
The prime minister also announced the nationwide deployment of Ehsaas Rashan Riayat that is globally first and fastest end-to-end digital targeted subsidies programme of national scale.
“Every month, the Rashan programme of Ehsaas will disburse 30% commodity subsidy to 20 million deserving families on the purchase of flour, pulses, cooking oil and ghee,” the prime minister said.
وزیراعظم کے احساس پروگرام کے تین سال مکمل:
احساس کامیابی سے تین سال مکمل کرچکا ہے۔ وزیراعظم کی سربراہی میں احساس کی چھتری تلے متعدد سماجی تحفظ و تخفیف غربت کے پروگرام جاری ہوئے۔ بمطابق احساس پالیسی، پروگرام کا98فیصد بجٹ خواتین کیلیئے مختص ہے۔#Ehsaas3Years pic.twitter.com/dkTuGMwijc— Ehsaas (@Ehsaas_Pk) March 7, 2022
Lauding Ehsaas further, the prime minister termed the success of Ehsaas “phenomenal” mentioning that the World Bank recognized Ehsaas among top four social protection programmes globally.
At the event, the prime minister was joined by the SAPM Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, the Federal Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz, the Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam, and Country Heads of international development partners.
Senator Faisal Javed moderated the event.
Regarding International Women’s Day tomorrow, Imran Khan expressed, “It is heartening that all cash transfers under Ehsaas are going in the hands of millions of poorest women through the digitized and rule-based system of Ehsaas. Every year, 98% Ehsaas budget is spent on women. Also, education centered Ehsaas Taleemi Wazaif offers higher stipend amount for girls to support their education across all Tehsils of Pakistan.”
Imran Khan also announced the nationwide scale up of anti-stunting programme, Ehsaas Nashonuma. “We are opening 160 Nashonuma Centers this year in all districts”, he added.
Reflecting on the programme progress, Dr. Sania Nishtar said, “Through Ehsaas, we are reaching out to 14 different disadvantaged groups particularly women and girls. We have institutionalized integrity frameworks, and data and technology driven systems to ensure transparency. In three years, Ehsaas provided cash to half the Country’s population. Despite COVID-19, we have accomplished Ehsaas survey which is South Asia’s first digital census of national scale.”
This was due to these foundations, she highlighted, that Ehsaas delivered all projects faster than private sector in just three years.
Today, 71 billion Ehsaas Kafaalat cash disbursements are also being mobilized nationwide.”
Alongside the prime minister, beneficiaries of Ehsaas Taleemi Wazaif, Ehsaas Kafaalat, Ehsaas Nashonuma and Ehsaas Rashan Riayat, Ehsaas Amdan, Ehsaas Interest Free Loan and Ehsaas Tahafuz were also present in the ceremony.
The girl recipients of Ehsaas Taleemi Wazaif and Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship also shared their transformational stories with the prime minister.
Prime Minister Imran Khan also gave away cheques among women beneficiaries of Ehsaas.
