“Punjab Khidmat Cards” are ready to launch:Rana mashud

Lahore: Punjab government has decided to establish “Punjab Social Protection Authority” in order to fulfill the basic needs of the helpless families facing economic problems. Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif will give final approval to the Organogram of this Authority after which 16 billion rupees annually would be distributed among 26 lakh low-income families of the Punjab through “Punjab Khidmat Cards”.

This was told by Chairman Cabinet Committee for preparing mechanism to launch “Punjab Khidmat Cards”, Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan to the meeting of Cabinet Committee, here today. Provincial Minister for Women Development Hamida Wahiduuddin, Members Provincial Assembly Mian Muhammad Rafique, Dr. Aysha Ghaus, Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht, Provincial Secretary Food Muhammad Aslam Komboh and Secretary Information & Culture Punjab Momin Agha, senior officers of NADRA, Pakistan Income Support Programme and other concerned provincial departments attended the meeting.

Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan said that due to wrong economic policies of the previous rulers, the wheel of Pakistani economy has jammed for the last 13 years. He said that any family living below the poverty line would not be deprived of additional cash grant irrespective of any political affiliation. He said that in the first phase of this programme, seven billion forty four crore and seventy two lakh rupees would be distributed among the 12 lakh families, who were declared deserving in the poverty index survey held last year and for this purpose, the process of scrutiny of all the subsidy card holders of Pakistan Income Support Programme would be completed within next two months.

He said that those who have been missed in survey due to any reason or they did not receive form can make appeal in the concerned tehsil office and their right complaints would be redressed immediately.

Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan assured that comprehensive system of social mobilization would be evolved for social protection of very poor families after consulting with economy experts of National Rural Support Programme as a result of which no one would be deprived of its right.