Govt to account for every penny of corona relief fund: PM Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan reiterated on Monday the government’s resolve to account for every penny donated to the PM’s Corona Relief Fund.

He said the federal government will disclose all details of how public money was spent in a transparent manner, lauding the Pakistani nation’s spirit of making generous donations.

PM Khan was speaking at an event marking commencement of three Ehsaas Programme initiatives, including Ehsaas Rashan Portal, Ehsaas Langar, and Panagah App and PM’s COVID Relief Fund website in Islamabad.

He said the government is striving to protect people from the adverse impact of the lockdown and maintained that the government didn’t enforce a stricter lockdown like his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi did in the neighbouring country.

In India, the prime minister said, the complete lockdown severely affected the poverty-stricken people and rendered about 34 per cent people either hungry or prone to the diseases.

He disclosed that he would have never allowed the provinces to enforce a complete lockdown, if they had consulted him in this regard.

He said the government is enforcing smart lockdown in coronavirus hotspots across the country to protect the most vulnerable people. The elderly people and those already suffering from serious diseases are the most vulnerable people, he explained.

If they are guarded against the coronavirus contagion, its impact will significantly minimise, the premier said, predicting that the coming month is difficult because of surging coronavirus cases.

PM Imran Khan lauded the Ehsaas cash programme saying it along with the government’s policy of relaxing the lockdown restrictions helped mitigate the effect of the pandemic.