Govt earmarks Rs400bn for health card scheme in Punjab: Farrukh Habib

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib has said the government has earmarked Rs400 billion for the Health Card scheme to facilitate 120 million people of Punjab.

“The Health Card facility has already been provided to the people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said talking to newsmen at Dogar House in Multan, after condoling Malik Aamir Dogar, the chief whip National Assembly, on the death of his mother.

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Farrukh Habib said the Health Card scheme was a huge initiative of Prime Minister Imran Khan and such a health scheme did not exist even in developed countries.

Similarly, the government also initiated Ehsaas Programme worth Rs 260 billion to provide relief to the poor segments of society, he said.

“Under the said programme, 100 million people are availing financial assistance of Rs12,000. The incumbent government also managed vaccination for 70 million citizens against coronavirus by spending Rs250 billion,” he maintained.

Commenting on the economic situation of the country, he said the exports had increased significantly during the first six months of the current fiscal year.

The state minister expressed the hope that the country’s exports would be over $30 billion in the ongoing fiscal year.

Lambasting the opposition, Farrukh said that opposition parties had looted the country’s resources for 40 years. Masses had rejected the opposition parties in General Elections 2018.

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About the long march call by JUI-F chief Moulana Fazlur Rehman, the minister stated that the opposition, once again, would face disappointment.

“The long march will convert into a quick march,” he said adding that even Fazlur Rehman’s son did not resign from the assembly. The march call was bound to fail, he said.

To a query about action against mafias, Farrukh said that sugar mills owners were fined Rs45 billion. Although they got a stay order from the court, he added.

“Similarly, action was also initiated against flour-mill owners. The anti-corruption establishment retrieved Rs20 billion from flour mill owners.

For the first time, track and trace system has been introduced for sugar,” he said. He alleged that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, former president Asif Zardari and Moulana Fazlur Rehman were patronising mafias.