Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said that the programmes introduced for the less privileged sections of the society can only be introduced when people who have passion and are considerate about the lives of other people work endlessly and passionately.
While addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Ehsaas Riayat Rashan programme in Islamabad, he said that the programme is the right step towards the PTI’s Riasat-e-Madina roadmap and the “biggest programme in the history of Pakistan”.
The targeted subsidy programme will effectively lower the price of essential commodities like wheat flour, cooking oil, ghee and pulses.
The programme has been launched under the PM’s vision of poverty alleviation.
According to the initiative, 30 percent monthly subsidy will be provided to 20 million families on daily use items.
Under the programme, Rs106 billion rupees will be spent on the provision of subsidies to 20 million eligible families.
Moreover, the Kafaalat Cash Assistance programme worth Rs71 billion rupees will also be started under Ehsaas Kafalat Scheme.
Speaking on the occasion, the PM expressed satisfaction that the socio-welfare programme of Ehsaas provided financial assistance to deserving people during the pandemic, which was acknowledged internationally.
The prime minister appreciated the progress of the Ehsaas Programme that aims to alleviate poverty in the country.
With a surge in global oil prices, he said the rate of commodities in Pakistan were still less compared with the rest of the world.
He mentioned that the government recently announced a big subsidy on petrol and diesel for the relief of consumers.
The premier urged the public to pay taxes and vowed that all amount collected from taxes would be spent on the welfare and development of the people.
He said people all over the world suffered economic problems due to Covid-19 pandemic, acknowledging that Pakistan was no exception.
“However, our policies saved people from what could have been the worst case scenario.”
He said The Economist’s normalcy index rated Pakistan’s strategy in successfully tackling Covid among the top.
The PM mentioned that 98 percent of the financial assistance under the Ehsaas programme was disbursed among needy women, adding that the “country could not prosper unless the resources were invested for the uplift of women, particularly their education and health.”
He said the government’s national health insurance programme was a major step in facilitating the common man in getting free medical treatment.
