Subsidy amount under Ehsaas Rashan programme to be increased gradually: official

ISLAMABAD: The subsidy amount being given under the newly-announced Ehsaas Rashan programme would be gradually increased, keeping in view the impact of inflation on the purchasing capacity of the common people.

This was stated by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Dr Sania Nishtar in an interview with APP.

She said: “For now, it is important that this system shall run on massive scale in a transparent manner and create its acceptability for the masses; the amount of subsidy or the quantity of the commodities can be increased through a single policy decision.”

“Once the buyers and the Kiryana stores merchants will be mobilised and registered for this programme on a large scale; the success will be determined and more avenues will be explored to make it more beneficial for the masses,” she said.

Those who were criticising should know first that the system was developed on a fast-track basis in a very short period to provide relief to the masses. “Increasing subsidy amount or quantity of items is quite an easier task,” she said.

The SAPM said the web portal to register beneficiaries under the Ehsaas Rashan programme will open from Monday.

“The programme will enable buyers having monthly income less than Rs31,000 to buy flour, pulses and cooking oil or ghee on subsidised rates from the designated Kiryana or utility stores,” she said.

The Kiryana store merchants having bank accounts would download app in their mobile phones through which they would ascertain the eligibility of the buyer, click on the icons of required commodities and pass on the subsidy.

The buyer having registered mobile numbers with their Computerised National Identity Cards would be able to purchase the items on subsidised rates and received a digital receipt.

Dr Sania Nishtar said that this programme would benefit 20 million families and overall 130 million people nationwide, including those already registered under the Kafalat programme through providing subsidy of Rs1,000/month.

The subsidy of Rs120 billion would be provided to the seven million during the next six months.

There were 1,000,000 kiryana stores in the country as per the estimate and all were eligible to register with this programme, if having bank accounts, she said, adding: “The government will incentivise these merchants through giving them profit on subsidy amount to motivate them for serving more and more people,” she added.

About ensuring quality of the commodities, Dr Sania said subsidy was being given on the flour, pulses and oil or ghee of every quality (brand) or price. “It will be up to the customers, which commodities they would buy, the subsidy amount of 30 per cent will be implemented in any case,” she added.

To a question about the expansion of Ehsaas Tahafuz initiative, she said the pilot project of the programme being executed at the Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi had served 600 patients so far. The programme was aimed at covering catastrophic health expenditures of the patients in those public hospitals lacking Sehat Sahulat programme.

“The programme would be up-scaled to 16 hospitals nationwide during this calendar year. About the Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship programme, Dr Sania said the portal for registration under this merit and need-based programme would remain open till November 30; however, there was a possibility of extending the date like last year.

Mentioning another important milestone, Dr Sania Nishtar said that around 5.7 million students have been enrolled under the Ehsaas Education Stipend programme, while the target was to enroll seven million children.

She conveyed that an app was being launched soon to register and enroll more children under this programme for which around 1,000 officials from the education department have been hired, besides Ehsaas team.

Anyone finding a child not enrolled in school would be able to register his or her information on the app and the relevant department would become active for enrolling the child. About the National Socio Economic Registry (NSER) Survey, Dr Sania highlighted that the survey had been completed and gathered the socioeconomic data of 32 million households (38 million families).

However, 507 registration desks were functional across the country to register those missing in the survey and also update the marital status of women. To a question on fake messages and portals circulated on the social media, she said a meeting would be conducted with the officials of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and other security departments next week.

“We will ask the PTA to devise a mechanism for blockade of the fake content regarding Ehsaas in the way blasphemous and pornographic contents are blocked by the authority,” she added.

To another question about the expansion of Ehsaas One-Window Centre facility nationwide, Dr Sania said that discussions were in progress with the provincial governments for the provision of buildings for the centres.

She said Ehsaas One-Window Centres would be opened at each district across the country, while a small version office would be set up at the tehsil level.

The SAPM said the centre in the Federal Capital had served 48,732 people since its opening in June.