LAHORE: The Punjab Employees Social Security Institution has launched the Cash Benefit mobile application for government workers earning less than Rs25,000, while the application will enable timely payment of financial benefits to the workers, Pakistan Today learnt.
According to the details, the governing body of PESSI has approved to extend the scope of application across Punjab while in the first phase the application was started as a pilot project in 3 directorates of PESSI Lahore.
A senior official of the PESSI informed Pakistan Today that the department used to give a lot of cash benefits to the workers registered with the institution in which if a worker falls ill he is paid 75 percent of the wages for 121 days in a year.
“Similarly, on the death of a worker, up to RS 10,000 is given as expenses and burial and on the death of the relatives of the workers, RS 5000 is given as burial. However, in the case of widows of women workers, 100 percent of the monthly wage is paid during ‘iddah’.
Under the auspices of pensioned disabled workers, the families of the deceased and the bereaved families of the deceased workers are provided full medical services free of cost for the rest of their lives. Every year, six children of the workers are given free MBBS education in the affiliated medical colleges, and special fee concessions are also given to the children of the workers in other departments of these colleges,” an official informed.
The official further informed that the institution used to receive many complaints that the registered workers had to face many difficulties in availing such financial benefits.
“The advantage of the Cash Benefit mobile application is that the PESSI registered worker will have to upload all his / her data on the application and for example, if he/she has fallen ill and has undergone treatment from the hospital then he/she will have to upload only those bills and in a certain period of time, the fixed amount of treatment will reach their account directly. The worker does not have to pay a bribe or wait for it,” he said.
When the official was asked what kind of Punjab government workers can be registered in this application, he replied that all such government employees who earn less than RS 25,000 per month can be registered with PESSI.
“For example, the health department, the education department or any department where any worker is paid less than RS 25,000 can be registered with PESSI by submitting their credentials. For this it is necessary that the concerned department of the worker deducts some amount from the salary which will enable them to avail all these cash benefits,” he added.
PESSI Commissioner Syed Bilal Haider informed that Cash Benefit mobile application would prove to be an important step in eradicating corruption and promoting transparency.
“The mobile application will enable timely payment of financial benefits to registered workers. The launch of this mobile app is a link in the Punjab government’s ‘Khidmat Aap ki Dehleez Per’ program. Not only will the registered workers be able to avail the benefits of the mobile application but also the registered workers will not have to go the offices unnecessarily. Every possible step is being taken for the convenience of the workers and the convenience of the employees,” he concluded.
