The registration for the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme under which financial assistance of Rs12,000 each is being provided to 12 million families, would be closed on Sunday midnight (April 19), while more than 85 million applicants have already registered for the programme on the government's designated number through text messaging.

Since Thursday, with the completion of the first phase of cash distribution to 4.5 million families, the financial assistance to the remaining 7.5 million deserving population has started. So far, more than Rs50 billion have been distributed to 4.16 million families, it is learnt.

Led by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Dr Sania Nishtar, the distribution of Rs144 billion under Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme has been ongoing countrywide since April 9.

In the first phase of this programme, 4.5 million women already registered under Kifaalat Programme were provided cash assistance of Rs12,000 each.

While the first phase of the cash distribution drive was only for women, in the second and final phase, 7.5 million applicants, both men and women, declared eligible for the cash assistance, after their registration with national socioeconomic database through the government's designated Short Messaging Service (SMS), web portal and district administrations concerned with the assistance of the relevant union councils, are being provided the cash assistance of Rs12,000 each.

The federal cabinet recently earmarked Rs200 billion to financially support the downtrodden segments of the society adversely affected by lockdown measures taken to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Out of these funds, Rs144 billion are being spent to provide Rs12,000 each to 12 million families under the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme.

Each family eligible for financial assistance under this programme would be provided at once Rs12,000 on the basis of four-monthly assistance of Rs3,000 per month.