PM to interact with Ehsaas beneficiaries at loan cheques ceremony in Sahiwal

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan will interact with the beneficiaries of Ehsaas Programme during his visit to Sahiwal on Friday.

The prime minister will distribute cheques of Ehsaas interest-free loans and Ehsaas undergraduate scholarship among the selected number of deserving beneficiaries and students from Sahiwal Division, a news release here said.

Since its launch in March 2019, different initiatives of the Ehsaas Programme - Kafaalat, Waseela-e-Taleem Digital, undergraduate scholarships, interest free loans and others have been implemented in the Sahiwal Division to uplift the marginalized populations of its three districts of Sahiwal, Okara and Pakpattan.

The currently ongoing Ehsaas survey is 28% complete in the Sahiwal Division that will provide basis for widespread social protection interventions. The enrollment of new beneficiaries will be based on eligibility verification from the new database compiled as the result of survey.

To-date,18,886 primary school going children from 9,864 poorest households are currently benefiting from the education conditional cash transfer programme, Waseela-e-Taleem Digital that has massively been reformed under the umbrella of Ehsaas.

In addition, the Ehsaas Emergency Cash worth Rs 6 billion has been delivered to 504,205 families of the Sahiwal Division in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

In the last one and a half year, more than 42,127 borrowers (69% women) have been provided Ehsaas interest-free loans worth Rs 1.6 million to set up small businesses under the National Poverty Graduation Initiative of Ehsaas.

Under the Ehsaas Kafaalat, 115,867 poorest households are benefitting from the monthly stipends of Rs 2,000. Payment to new Kafaalat beneficiaries will begin on Friday.

Through the Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship Programme, around 1,308 scholarships are being awarded to the deserving brilliant students in Sahiwal, Okara and Pakpattan districts.

Under the umbrella of Ehsaas, several enhancements are also being planned to expand the scale and scope of Ehsaas interventions in the next phase.