ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan is launching on Monday (today) the cash disbursal programme under the Ehsaas Emergency Cash for workers who are worst affected by the coronavirus crisis and have become jobless.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), over 3.4 million applications of jobless people have so far been received through the Ehsaas Labour Portal. More than Rs3 billion have so far been mobilised in the PM Covid-19 Fund and the pledges continue to be realised.
The prime minister has committed that for each rupee provided by donors, Rs4 will be committed by the government.
On May 2, PM Khan inaugurated the Ehsaas Labor Portal, which enables Covid-19 job/livelihood-loss affectees to seek Ehsaas Emergency Cash assistance from the government.
He also announced that the donations he was receiving in the PM Covid-19 Fund would be used to give Ehsaas Emergency Cash to deserving job-loss/livelihood-loss affected people. The Ehsaas Emergency Cash of Rs12,000 will be given to these individuals.
The process of cash disbursal to deserving people will commence on May 18. The prime minister will be present at an Ehsaas camp where the first batch of job-loss/livelihood-loss affected people will receive Ehsaas Emergency Cash.
The existing principles and processes that have been deployed for Ehsaas Emergency Cash will be fully applied in the use of the Prime Minister’s Covid-19 donor funds. Rule-based controls will be fully adhered to. Data analytics will be employed for selection of beneficiaries. The system of identification will be fully apolitical and free from human interference. Payments will be done after biometric verification. There will be full transparency in deployment of funds.
The PM Office announced that tehsil level bank disbursement and withdrawal details will be made public, just as in the case of Ehsaas Emergency Cash, under a separate Category IV and will be posted on https://www.pass.gov.pk/ecs/uct_all.html.
Tehsil-wise number of beneficiaries, bank disbursement details, accounts credited, and money withdrawn will be posted on a real time basis.
Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2020