PESHAWAR: A meeting held here with Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur in the chair reviewed the progress on four major programmes being implemented under Ehsas initiative in the province.
These programmes include Ehsaas Nojawan, Ehsaas Hunar, Ehsaas Rozgar, and Ehsaas Apna Ghar (Low cost housing project).
Besides, Provincial Ministers, Syed Qasim Ali Shah, Syed Fakhar Jehan, Advisors to KP CM on Finance and Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC), Muzammil Aslam and Dr. Amjad Ali, administrative secretaries of relevant departments and representatives of partner institutions also attended the meeting.
The Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur announced the release of Rs. 8 billion for the Ehsaas initiatives in the current fiscal year, with Rs 2 billion earmarked for interest-free loans under each of the four flagship programs.
Similarly, in a significant move to uplift the merged districts, the Chief Minister directed that dedicated and separate funds be allocated for beneficiaries from the merged areas under all four initiatives.
He further instructed that the loan disbursement procedures and requirements be simplified specifically for applicants from these districts to ensure maximum participation and benefit.
He emphasized that the people of the merged districts deserve special attention and efforts must be made to enable as many residents as possible to benefit from these schemes within the current year.
The Chief Minister also directed the concerned departments to also accelerate the loan disbursement process and to further simplify the eligibility criteria for applicants across the province.
During the meeting, a detailed briefing was given on the progress, so far made of the programs. It was informed that under Component-I of the Ehsaas Nojawan Program, being implemented through the Bank of Khyber, Rs. 408 million in interest-free loans have been distributed among 139 beneficiaries, utilizing 100% of the allocated funds. An additional Rs. 116 million is required for 52 more approved cases under the same component.
Meanwhile, Component-II of the Ehsaas Nojawan Program, implemented through Akhuwat Microfinance, has also achieved 100% disbursement of its allocated funds. So far, Rs. 602 million in interest-free loans have been disbursed among 3585 beneficiaries, with another 1,745 applications currently under process.
It was also highlighted that Akhuwat has achieved a 100% loan recovery rate under this program, with Rs. 42.88 million recovered to date.
Under the Ehsaas Hunar Program, Rs. 307 million have been distributed among 647 beneficiaries, while an additional 592 cases are currently being processed. In the Ehsaas Apna Ghar scheme, Rs. 200 million have been disbursed among 76 successful applicants through a balloting process.
For the current fiscal year, the eligibility criteria for this scheme have been further relaxed. The monthly income threshold for eligibility has been increased from Rs. 100,000 to Rs. 150,000. Similarly, maximum limit of covered area has also been extended from five marla to ten marla as eligibility criteria under this scheme.
These reforms reflect the provincial government’s commitment to expanding access to welfare and livelihood opportunities, particularly for youth and underserved communities, including those in the merged districts.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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