Punjab government to give “Khidmat Cards” to12 lakh families

Lahore: PML (N) leadership is determined to ameliorate the poor lot of 38 percent Pakistanis who are living below the poverty line and for this purpose, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has desired to consolidate the functioning of National Rural Support Programme (NRSP), Pakistan Income Support Programme (PISP), the “Khidmat Programme” recently introduced by the Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif and other Social Protection Agencies like “Akhuwat Organization” beside other NGOs so that full benefit be taken from the resources and expertise of all these social protection agencies to enable the poor lot come out of the vicious circle of poverty.

This was disclosed by the Chairman cabinet committee on Khidmat Programme in Punjab Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan while talking to the General Manager NRSP Agha Ali Javed who called on him with his team of experts to apprise the Minister about what NRSP has achieved so far through its poverty reduction programme. Member Punjab Assembly Mian Muhammad Rafiq, Chairman Punjab Information Technology Board Dr. Omar Saif, Secretary Food Punjab Muhammad Aslam Kamboh and Director Food Punjab Capt. (R) Muhammad Usman also attended the meeting.

Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan expressed his resolve to introduce an institutional arrangement through which the poorest of the poor could be enabled to meet the both ends and would not remain dependent upon the meager amount disbursed to them by various social safety networks. He lauded the efforts of NRSP under the able guidance of its Chairman Shoaib Sultan Khan and said that the Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has wanted NRSP assistance in making the “Khidmat Programme” initiated by the Punjab Chief Minister a real success and the government of Punjab was inclined to utilize the paraphernalia of NRSP for this purpose.

Agha Ali Javed replied in affirmation and hoped that the Punjab government will be able to disburse “Khidmat Cards” to minimally 12 lakh beneficiaries in the next two months.