The federal government is actively engaged in consultations with all the stakeholders to take them on board following the launch of Ehsaas Programme, which is being described as the largest social welfare initiative in the history of Pakistan.
In this context, a designated Labour Social Protection Expert Group has been established under the purview of Ehsaas Programme directly supervised by Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar.
The move is part of the government's policy to hold thorough consultations with stakeholders to map out different modalities of Ehsaas Programme including the revamping of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) with its gradual integration in the Ehsaas Programme, it is learnt.
Labour Social Protection Expert Group has facilitated a series of consultative meetings between the relevant stakeholders including the representatives of labour unions from across Pakistan, employees' federations, United Nations International labour Organisation and top government officials from provincial labour departments and federal government entities like Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Division as well as Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development.
"The purpose of these meetings is to address the concerns, if any, of the stakeholders and to take the labour bodies into the loop in order to forge broader consensus on different aspects of the Ehsaas Programme," government sources told Business Recorder.
"Not to forget that Ehsaas is a multifaceted programme that aims at the financial and social uplift of millions of people. This ambitious project requires a comprehensive mechanism backed by complete framework before the programme is put on an aggressive implementation stage," the officials said.
So far, the government has allocated Rs 10 billion for Ehsaas Programme to launch a detailed survey in order to ascertain the number of individuals and families who need financial assistance under BISP. Sources said that the federal government's Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Division is hopeful that this Rs 10 billion amount would receive a hundred per cent increase in the upcoming federal budget that would be presented on June 11. The relevant survey is expected to be completed in the ongoing year, it is further learnt.
"Funding is not a problem. Prime Minister Imran Khan has tasked the Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Division to expand the Ehsaas Programme across the country. He has assured that his office would take care of the funding needs. The prime minister himself is monitoring this programme and he is being updated regularly about all the related developments," Business Recorder was informed.
The funding needs would be reviewed and prioritised accordingly with the phase-wise implementation of the Ehsaas Programme, officials further stated.
In April this year, the federal cabinet with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair, had approved the formation of Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Division directly headed by Dr Sania Nishtar. The Division supervises and coordinates the functioning of different organisations under Ehsaas Programme. These organisations include BISP, Pakistan Baitul Mal, Zakat, Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund and Trust for Voluntary Organisations, which would be gradually absorbed in Ehsaas Programme under the administrative ambit of Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Division.
Last week, Prime Minister Imran Khan approved Ehsaas Qarz-e-Hasna Scheme that would allow lending loans up to Rs 80,000 to deserving youth and women in order to enable them to start their own small businesses. For this purpose Rs 5 billion has been allocated for loans in all the four provinces of Pakistan as well as Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
In March this year, Prime Minister Imran Khan first announced his decision to launch Ehsaas Programme with the aim to "mobilise all available resources to root out poverty from Pakistan."
Addressing a press conference earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar said Ehsaas is a comprehensive and multifaceted programme with 115 policies under four pillars including addressing elite capture and making the government system work to create equality, safety nets for disadvantaged segments of the population, jobs and livelihoods and human capital development.
She said under Ehsaas Programme two new social protection programmes are being introduced; Kifalat and Tahafuz Programmes. Under the Kifalat Programme, stipends would be disbursed among seven million women on a monthly basis and they would be given mobile phones. The programme would be fully operational by October.
Dr Sania Nishtar said Tahafuz programme was the precision safety net of the government of Pakistan, aimed at assisting and facilitating deserving people who suffered from unexpected financial problems.This programme would also be operational this calendar year.
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