Ehsaas programme survey to be completed by June 30: Sania Nishtar

LAHORE: Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Dr Sania Nishtar said on Thursday that 70 per cent of the socioeconomic and poverty survey had been completed under the Ehsaas Programme, and the deserving people were being provided relief accordingly.

Addressing a news conference here at DC office, she said that the poverty survey was being conducted in all districts and tehsils of Punjab, while data collection had been launched last week, which would be completed by June 30, 2021.

Dr Sania said it was a digital survey that could not be fabricated. The survey teams were collecting families’ data at their doorsteps and adding it to the Ehsaas Programme system through digital applications and devices on-the-spot. The survey, she said, was based on target-subsidy by revamping the subsidy mechanism.

Ruling out any discrimination in the data collection, she said that the survey was being conducted irrespective of one’s caste, ethnic, religious or any political affiliation. She mentioned that financial assistance to the deserving families through Ehsaas Kafalat Programme, primary school education stipends for students, Ehsaas Amdan, and interest-free loans etc. was being provided on the basis of the survey. Complete sincerity, transparency and fairness were being ensured in the survey.

SAPM Dr Sania also called upon the media organisations to play their role in creating awareness about the survey among the general public, asserting that it’s a voluntary process and free-of-cost; therefore, the people must cooperate with the survey teams.

She added that respective district administrations, in collaboration with secretary education, were mobilising teachers on voluntary ground for conducting the survey, an activity after the school time.

Dr Sania Nishtar said that effective measures were being taken to obstruct the fraudsters, who deceive the innocent people by sending them fake SMS, whatsapp, facebook and other social media messages regarding Ehsaas Programme and mint money from them in the name of incorporating/ registering them into the Ehsas data.

“As soon, we find any such activity, we block their SIM, mobile phone, whatsapp, facebook and other social media IDs,” she added.

By June this year, she said, seven million families would be benefiting from Ehsaas Programme’s initiatives, asserting that providing social protection to people was the government’s responsibility and "we, at Ehsaas Programme, are making all-out efforts to perform this sacred cause with all sincerity and transparency.’

Later, answering the reporters’ queries, she said that 3.8 million deserving families had been identified and CNIC numbers of 2.2 million women had been received out of which 1.8 million CNICs were valid and the government had immediately extended relief to those 1.8 million families.

While, the deserving families having invalid CNICs were sent SMS to get new or renew their CNICs according to be able to receive Ehsaas Progaramme’s support.

To a question, Dr Sania Nishtar said that people were being provided financial support under the Ehsaas Programme soon after the survey, citing that Prime Minister had recently inaugurated Ehsaas Programme initiative at Kalar Saidan, Sahiwal and South Waziristan after completion of poverty survey in those areas.

She said that an SMS was being sent to 200,000 to 280,000 needy/deserving people enrolled in the Ehsaas Programme on daily basis, asking them to collect their payments under Ehsaas Programme.

To another question, she clarified that Ehsaas Programme received budget from Finance Ministry and did not have direct link with any foreign donor.

Responding to a journalist’s query, she said that Ehsaas Programme had very effective data security framework and policies regarding data collection and sharing etc.