Serving poor segments of society has remained foremost priority of Govt: PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday said that serving the poor segments of society had remained the foremost priority of the present government and the government would continue making every possible effort to enhance the scope and reach of Prime Minister's Interest Free Loan Scheme (PMIFL) program through greater financial allocations.

The prime minister stated this while chairing a briefing on the progress of Prime Minister’s Interest Free Loan Scheme (PMIFL) at Prime Minister’s Office.

The prime minister while expressing his satisfaction over the progress of the program, also appreciated the role of Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund towards implementation of the program in a transparent and effective manner.

The meeting was attended among others by Dr. Amjad Saqib, Chairman Steering Committee PMIFL, Qazi Azmat Isa, CEO Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), Ms. Simi Sadaf Kamal and senior officials.

The prime minister was informed that the Interest Free Loan Scheme, a poverty alleviation initiative of the present government, has been recognized worldwide as one of the most effective tool in fighting menace of poverty and enabling the poor earn a decent livelihood.

It was informed that an amount of Rs. 9.7 billion has been disbursed so far under the program with 409,805 loans given across the country including FATA, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The prime minister was informed that 99 percent recovery rate was another manifestation of the success of the program.