ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar convened a progress review meeting with the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) to track the cadence of Ehsaas Rashan Riayat Registration.
The meeting discussed that with the collaborative efforts of Chief Secretaries of Khyber Pakhtukhwa and Punjab, the NBP team and district administrations, the Kiryana retailer registrations have risen substantively from 300 to 3,000 per week.
The President NBP Arif Usmani, the Chief Digital Officer NBP Hamayoun Sajjad, the Executive Leadership and over 500 Regional Officers from all over the Country joined the meeting.
The Secretary of the Social Safety Division Muhammad Ali Shahzada and the Additional Secretary Captain (retd) Saeed Ahmed Nawaz were also in attendance.
The Rashan Riayat programme of Ehsaas is being executed in partnership with NBP. The registrations of Kiryana retailers and poor families are currently in full swing and preparations are underway to formally roll out the programme soon.
The NBP is facilitating the Kiryana owners to open their bank accounts. The NBP authorized Kiryana retailers will disburse Ehsaas Rashan subsidy to eligible beneficiaries through a special purpose, ‘mobile Point of Sale’ (mPOS) App.
While answering questions of the NBP Field Officers, Dr. Sania Nishtar reassured that Ehsaas Rashan Riayat system has been made hundred percent digital to checkmate misuse. It has nothing to do with bringing the Kiryana owners in the tax fold.
The Kiryana owners centered communications plan was also discussed to apprise retailers of the 8% tax exempted commission on each subsidy transaction and quarterly raffles offering cars, motor bikes, mobile phones and various other prizes.
Later, responding to another most frequently asked question from the field team, Dr. Sania said, “Ehsaas Rashan Riayat is flexible to variety and quality of commodities. Eligible families will be free to avail a subsidy of Rs 1,000 a month on the purchase of wheat flour, pulses, cooking oil or ghee of their preference. Accordingly, 30% subsidy will be given on these three items, per unit purchase.”
Dr. Sania Nishtar thanked the NBP leadership and team for expediting the progress of Kiryana registrations. She also urged them to accelerate the verification and account opening process for registered Kiryana stores.
