Relief package will benefit more than 12 million families through digital payments
Prime Minister unveils Rs38b Ramadan Relief Package. PHOTO: RADIO PAKISTAN
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday unveiled a relief package worth Rs38 billion for the upcoming holy month of Ramazan, which will benefit more than 12 million families through digital payments.
Addressing the ceremony, the prime minister said the old distribution system had been abolished last year as the items provided to deserving families under that system were of low quality and people had to wait in queues, compromising their self-respect.
He said that with the introduction of a digital system, direct cash payments were made to deserving families under a new cashless mechanism last year.
The premier added that a third-party audit of the Rs20b allocated for the relief package the previous year found the distribution mechanism to be highly transparent and free from corruption.
The prime minister said that, based on previous years’ experience, the package would be distributed with renewed commitment and improvement this year. He added that each deserving family would now receive an enhanced amount of Rs13,000.
He said a total of Rs38b would be distributed through wallets and digital banking across all four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, involving significant efforts in terms of scale and implementation.
Read: Ramazan likely to begin on Feb 19: Suparco
Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Syed Imran Ahmad Shah said Rs10b had also been allocated for those already benefitting from the system.
He said digital banking and a cashless economy had not only enhanced transparency but also saved public time and preserved their dignity.
Benazir Income Support Programme Secretary Aamer Ali Ahmad said it would be a historic relief package, as the government would roll out a comprehensive package based on compassion and empathy in line with the spirit of the holy month.
A total of Rs38b had been earmarked for the relief package, benefiting more than 12m families and assisting about 36m people, he added.
He said the State Bank of Pakistan had also issued a framework for the distribution of the package, adding that a helpline (9999), mobile app and portal had been introduced for support.
