Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar has said government will provide social protection to vulnerable segments of society through a number of programmes. Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Nishtar, who is also chairperson of Ehsaas Programme, said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government under Ehsaas Programme has planned to provide financial assistance to physically disabled people who count for 2.5 percent of Pakistan population.
She said despite current austerity drive of the government and voluntary decision of many public sector institutions to not ask for an increase in budget for 2019-20, the budget allocated for social protection has been doubled. She said social protection aims at measures for the poorest of the poor, those facing calamity and disabled people.
Nishtar said people registered with National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) as disabled will be issued Health Insaaf Cards in order to provide them free health facility. Under Ehsaas Programme, it has been decided that the blind will be provided free white cans while those who are suffering disability of legs will be provided free wheel chairs. She said the deaf will be provided free hearing aids. A committee in this regard will be constituted soon.
The chairperson Ehsaas Programme said two percent quota in government jobs for the disabled people will be ensured. She said Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken serious notice of non-implementation of this quota and directed to ensure it. The government will formulate a policy on orphanages across the country in a bid to uplift the students studying there, she said.
Nishtar said it has been decided to establish centres in 20 deprived districts of the country where artificial limbs will be manufactured to be provided to the disabled people. She said consultations in this regard are ongoing with relevant institutions and provinces.
She said the government will launch a number of schemes for marginalised communities, adding that even the poor will also be given contracts to small level projects to enable them uplift their lives by getting new skills.
The special assistant to pm said in order to assist old pensioners, the monthly pension of Employees Old Age Benefits Institution has been raised to Rs 6,500. On experimental basis, Ehsaas houses will be constructed for old pensioners. She said a new policy aimed at introducing standards and benchmarks in existing orphanages as well as increasing their number is also in the offing.
She said the government will also provide financial assistance to the women of the backward areas in a bid to raise their life standards and make them financially independent. She said the government will start a fresh scheme of loans for unemployed people to enable them to start their small businesses, adding that every month 80,000 people under the scheme will be provided with interest free loans.
Nishtar added that to sponsor the undergraduate education of deprived students, the government will initiate a fresh scheme under which college and university fee of such students will directly be paid to the educational institutions where they are enrolled.
She maintained that end of the year, the government will provide Health Insaaf Cards to 0.6 million families or 10 million people already identified in a move to provide them best available medical facilities. Moreover those who are not registered with Insaaf Cards will be provided health facilities through Tahafaz Card, she said.
Ehsaas chairperson said the programme has a special focus on labourers and it will bring them into the fold of social protection. The labourers or people doing seasonal jobs will be registered in order to make them eligible for social protection. She said a labour expert group has been constituted that meets twice a week.
Comments
Comments are closed.