State Bank to issue Rs50 coin in the memory of Abdul Sattar Edhi

KARACHI: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has announced to issue Rs50 Commemorative Coin on Friday in memory of famed philanthropist late Abdul Sattar Edhi, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

The federal government had decided to issue the coin in the cabinet meeting held on July 15 last year. The SBP was authorized to issue Rs50 Commemorative Coin in recognition of his services to humanity.

These coins will be issued through the exchange counters of all the field offices of SBP Banking Services Corporation from March 31, 2017.

The metal composition, shape, dimension and design of Rs50 commemorative coin are as under:

Metal composition: cupronickel, copper 75% and nickel 25%

Dimension: 30.0 mm

Weight: 13.5 grams

OBVERSE:

The waxing crescent moon and five pointed star facing North West in rising position is in the center. The periphery on the top of the crescent star is inscribed in the wording “ISLAMI JAMHORIA PAKISTAN” in Urdu script. Below the crescent and at the top of two springs of wheat with arms curved upward, there is the year of death of Abdul Sattar Edhi. The face value of the coin in numeral “50” in bold letters and RUPIA in Urdu script are written on the right and left sides of the crescent star respectively.

REVERSE:

There is a side portrait of Abdul Sattar Ehdi in the center. The wording عبدالستار ایدھی  انسانیت عہد  is inscribed above the portrait of Abdul Sattar Edhi. The life span 1928-2016 is inscribed along with the periphery and below the portrait.

 

Celebrated social worker Abdul Sattar Edhi who breathed his last on July 8, 2016, opened his first clinic in 1951 to begin his lifelong journey for the welfare of the downtrodden segments of the Pakistani society.

In his autobiography, “A Mirror To The Blind”, Edhi says, “Social welfare was my vocation, I had to free it.”

Motivated by a spiritual quest for justice, over the years Edhi and his team have created maternity wards, morgues, orphanages, shelters, and homes for the elderly aimed at helping those in society who cannot help themselves.

He was also mentioned in the Guinness Book of world records for the largest fleet of ambulances, offering help to poor sections of the society failed by inadequate public health and welfare services. These 1500 ambulances are the most prominent symbols of the foundation deployed to the scene in case of an emergency or extremist attack.

Abdul Sattar Edhi received several prestigious awards in his lifelong service of mankind. Edhi received the 1986 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in Manila, Philippines also known as the Asian Noble. He was also the recipient of the Lenin Peace Prize and the Balzan Prize in Italy.

In 2006, Institute of Business Administration Pakistan (IBA) conferred an honorary degree of Doctor of Social Service Management for his services. In September 2010, Edhi was also awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Bedfordshire. In 1989, he received the Nishan-e-Imtiaz from the Government of Pakistan.

The annual budget of 1.5 billion rupees ($15 million), mainly from donations by middle- and working-class Pakistanis, continues to grow, according to Faisal. The Edhi foundation was also at the forefront of the response last year when a devastating heatwave struck Karachi last year.

He built up his charity solely through donations focusing on addicts, battered women, orphans and the disabled. Renowned for an ascetic lifestyle and recognized by his long white beard and traditional black cap, Edhi was a hero to the poor but infuriated some religious leaders for his refusal to give preferential treatment to Muslims above minorities.