Ehsaas' plan to change the poor's destiny
Ehsaas' Kifalat programme, to be launched on January 31 (Friday), will change the destiny of poorest women segments of society in true sense through transparent disbursement of cash assistance among the most deserving women and digital payment mechanism, improving their overall household economic condition.
A total of seven million most deserving women across the country will be enrolled in the Ehsaas Kifalat programme to provide them cash assistance of Rs. 2000 monthly, interest free loans up to Rs. 75,000 and other facilities gradually in phases, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Division, Dr. Sania Nishtar said on Wednesday.
Briefing the media at her office, Dr. Sania Nishtar informed that all the arrangements for launching this propoor initiative has been completed by her division with start of enrollment of one million families in 70 districts in the first phase.
These
families, she
said, will start receiving Kifalat stipends from February to March 2020 while more beneficiaries would be added through desk registration over the course of the year, she said.
Dr. Sania Nishtar informed that the beneficiaries will be identified through a household survey and Ehsaas NADRA Desk Registration Centers assisted by sms and Kifalat web-service. At least one desk registration center has been established in each Tehsil.
The registered households will pass through the data analytics to verify their eligibility and will be paid the amount through the new biometric Ehsaas digital payment system to ensure transparency.
The women having their own bank accounts and biometric enabled ATMs will be able to draw money from Point of Sales (PoS) agents, dedicated branches and ATMs of Habib Bank Limited and Alfalah Bank which will save them from exploitation of sale agents, she briefed.
Listing the salient features of the Kifalat programme which were lacking previously, Dr. Sania Nishtar informed that the cash assistance of Rs. 2,000 will be given on monthly basis during the first week through opening of saving accounts of beneficiaries.
The payment will be totally bio metric made through two designated banks only and identification of beneficiaries will be conducted through door to door digital survey, data analytics, desk survey and web survey.
All Ehsaas graduation opportunities will be made available to the beneficiaries to uplift their living standard. The QR codes on Kifalat cards and bar codes on ID cards coupled with bio-metric verification can enable Kifalat to expand its horizon of support for the poor families ,e.g, at utility Stores and other service points in future, she said.
To a question, Dr. Sania Nishtar conveyed that after changing the policy, those having passport but no foreign travel history are eligible to register themselves.
Responding to another question, she said a mechanism is being developed under which those beneficiaries whose living standard improves can be exited from the programme.