Every daily-wage earner to be given Rs 3,000 per month

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday approved a relief package under which each one from seven million daily-wage labourers will be given Rs 3,000 per month. He was chairing a high-level meeting here about possible impact of COVID-19 on the economy, and steps to provide relief to the common man.
The meeting also approved a relief package worth Rs 200 billion for importers, while a similar package will be announced for the construction industry as well as tax relief. Prime Minister Khan reiterated that in view of the prevailing situation due to COVID-19 outbreak, the government would go to any extent to protect the weaker segments of society.
Khan said every possible step would be ensured at the administrative level to avert hoarding and nobody would be allowed to take undue advantage of the situation. There should be no obstruction in supply of edible items and medicines, the prime minister said.
He had earlier argued that the people living below the poverty line could not afford a lockdown similar to the ones being implemented in Europe and China. Khan was of the view that the government had no capacity to provide food to the poor in case of a total lockdown.
Earlier, Sindh and Punjab, which are home to some 160 million people, sought help of the military to help the civil administration as the number of coronavirus cases keeps increasing. The meeting was attended by Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, Minister for Food Security Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Dr Sania Nishtar, Dr Ishrat Hussian, chairman FBR, and others.