No SMS charges for registration in Ehsaas cash programme

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has ended SMS charges to facilitate needy people for registering themselves for Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme, ARY News reported on Thursday.

PTA spokesperson said that the telecommunication authority has issued directives to all telecom operators to end SMS charges for Ehsaas cash payment programme for the deserving people.

The nationals will not be charged Rs1.50 to register themselves by sending SMS on 8171, said PTA.

It is pertinent to mention here that the disbursement of cash assistance to the deserving families under Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme commenced across the country earlier in the day.

Read: Great achievement of govt to distribute cash among needy people: PM

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

She said special arrangements have 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.

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

The government has allocated 144 billion rupees for Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme, which is a countrywide umbrella, and all provinces, including Federation, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, are part of this platform.

Seventeen thousand points are being established across the country to facilitate the distribution of 12,000 rupees per family under the programme.

People can contact toll-free helpline number 0800-26477 for any query in this connection.