Banks to remain open on Saturday, Sunday to facilitate deserving families: Sania Nishtar

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Dr. Sania Nishtar on Wednesday said that the banks will remain open on Saturday and Sunday to disburse cash assistance to the deserving families under Ehsaas Emergency Cash program, ARY News reported.

Talking to ARY News, Sania Nishtar said that Rs49.2 billion have been transferred to banks for the program today, adding that Rs144 billion will be transferred to the banks in two and half weeks.

She maintained that 17,000 points have been set up across the country for the cash distribution and added that 25,000 people withdrew their money from the banks in just one and half hours.

The special assistant said the eligible deserving families should ensure that they are receiving the full amount of 12,000 rupees from the point mentioned in the SMS, which includes designated points and date.

She termed the Ehsaas Emergency Cash program the country’s ‘biggest relief package’ and said that that distribution of funds to the deserving families is totally merit-based, transparent and non-political.

Earlier today, the disbursement of cash assistance to the deserving families under Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme underway across the country.

In a tweet, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Dr. Sania Nishtar had said that in the first phase, disbursements were being made to Kafalat beneficiaries.

She had said special arrangements had been put in place at the disbursement points to avoid the spread of the pandemic. Under the programme, a sum of twelve thousand rupees each will be distributed among 12 million poor families affected by the ongoing lock-down in the wake of Coronavirus pandemic across the country during the next two and half weeks after biometric verification.