ISLAMABAD: With the beginning of cash payment to beneficiaries under category-IV, a total of Rs131.76 billion have been distributed among almost 10.87 million beneficiaries in four categories of Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme so far.
Previously, the federal government had earmarked Rs144 billion under Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme to provide one-time financial cash assistance of Rs12,000 each to 12 million beneficiaries whose livelihoods were adversely affected as a result of restrictive measures taken to stem the spread of coronavirus in Pakistan.
These 12 million beneficiaries were divided into three categories.
However, with the inclusion of fourth category, number of funds and beneficiaries have been revised with almost Rs194 billion (Rs193.96 billion exactly) to be distributed among 16.16 million beneficiaries under Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme.
Till date, Rs131,767.96 million have been distributed among 10,878,438 beneficiaries in the four categories of this programme, reveals the data issued by the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety (PASS) Division.
This include Rs55,697.79 million distributed among 4,539,257 beneficiaries in category-I, Rs39,872.35 million among 3,322,696 beneficiaries in category-II, Rs28,971.11 million among 2,414,259 beneficiaries in category-III and Rs7,226.71 million distributed among 602,226 beneficiaries in category-IV, so far.
Last month, Prime Minister Imran Khan launched category-IV to financially support six million men and women from the downtrodden segments of society who lost their livelihoods as a result of preventive measures taken by the federal and provincial governments to stop the spread of coronavirus.
On May 2, the PM launched the web-portal for soliciting applications from people who lost their livelihoods in the context of the outbreak of coronavirus in Pakistan.
Since then, the portal is currently open to applications in line with criteria detailed in the web-based application form.
Applicants are required to give a declaration, while submitting application form that they lost their job due to coronavirus outbreak.
Category-I of Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme includes 4.5 million Kafaalat beneficiary women cleared from the NADRA (National Database and Registration Authority) data analytics before inclusion in the Kafaalat Programme.
Category-II includes four million men and women who registered with Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme through Short Messaging Service (SMS). Category-III includes 3.5 million men and women identified through district administrations and as well as SMS facility.