ISLAMABAD, Jan 30 (APP):Prime Minister, Imran Khan is likely to launch the `Kifalat programme’ of Ehsaas initiative on January 31 (Friday) to financially empower a total of seven million most deserving women across the country in three phases.
According to an official of Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Division, the arrangements for launching this pro-poor initiative have been completed with start of enrollment of one million families in 70 districts in the first phase.
A total of seven million most deserving women across the country will be enrolled in the Ehsaas Kifalat programme to provide cash assistance of Rs. 2000 monthly, interest free loans up to Rs. 75,000 and other facilities gradually in phases.
These families 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.
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 official informed.
The women having their own bank accounts and bio-metric 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.
The beneficiaries will be able to get the cash assistance of Rs. 2,000 on monthly basis during the first week through their saving accounts.
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, the official informed.
