12 million deserving families to be issued Ehsas Ration Cards

• 120 billion rupees allocated

FAISALABAD, Nov 06,2021

Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, Farrukh Habib Saturday said government has taken substantial steps to facilitate low income groups and destitute people as 120 billion rupees have been allocated to issue Ehsas Ration Cards to 12 million deserving families.

He was talking to media after a ceremony arranged by Red Crescent Society on Saturday to award certificates to the volunteers for outstanding performance during the coronavirus pandemic.

The state minister  said that despite corona pandemic, Pakistan recorded exports of 25.4 billion dollar which was highest in the history. Similarly, Pakistan’s textile exports were more than 6 billion dollars in last 4 months. The IT exports recorded 42% increase while stock exchanges witnessed tremendous growth in banking, textile, petroleum, cement, energy and other sectors, he highlighted.

Farrukh Habib said that loans amounting to Rs.450 billion were provided to industrialists and businessmen through banks which were used to install most modern machinery and it will help in increasing national exports by reducing cost of production.

He said the government framed new policy for loan defaulters and facilitated them in repayment. “Now for the first time in the history of Pakistan, Small & Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs) were being provided collateral-free loans up to Rs.10 million”, he added.

The state minister said that Ehsaas program is considered as 4th best program among 3400 welfare programs of the world. The PPP had allocated Rs. 70 billion for Benazir Income Support Program, while PML-N had earmarked Rs.100 billion for it. “However, we, despite lack of resources, allocated Rs. 250 billion for Ehsaas program so that maximum relief could be provided to poor people”.

He said that the government was providing loans to homeless people so that they could build their own houses and in this regard 57,000 applications were received so far.

“Loans of Rs. 80 billion have been approved for 23,000 applicants and out of it, Rs.19 billion has so far been disbursed”, he added.

He further said that sale of imported sugar at Rs. 90 per kg was also being ensured through district governments heads.