PM steps in to salvage Ramazan relief package
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed authorities to enhance awareness about the Rs20 billion Ramazan Package, following reports that 2.8 million entitled accounts had been credited with Rs5,000 each, but only 22% of recipients had withdrawn the funds.
During a visit to the National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC), Prime Minister Shehbaz called for a review of the ongoing awareness campaign to improve its effectiveness, outreach, and to bridge the gap between disbursement and withdrawal.
On March 1, ahead of the holy month of Ramazan, Shehbaz launched the Rs20 billion Ramazan Package, aimed at supporting 4 million deserving families (approximately 20 million people) across the country. Under the package, each family was to receive Rs5,000 through digital wallets.
At the launch event, the prime minister emphasized that a foolproof mechanism would ensure the swift transfer of funds to the 4 million families. Additionally, 600 stalls were set up at the tehsil level to provide subsidized sugar at Rs130 per kilogram.
The prime minister visited the NTC headquarters to review the execution of the program, where he was briefed by Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja on the live monitoring of the initiative.
Khawaja informed the prime minister that since the launch, 689,000 calls had been received, with 522,000 addressed by an automated Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system and 90,000 handled by call agents. She also shared that 94% of the accounts had been established, with Rs14 billion already credited, of which 683,000 withdrawals had been made. A track-and-trace system was also in place to reverse any incorrect transactions without delay.
In light of the withdrawal issue, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif instructed the relevant ministries, the State Bank of Pakistan, and private partners to reassess the ongoing awareness campaign for the Rs20 billion Ramazan Package to ensure its success and greater impact.
The prime minister, during his visit to the National Telecommunication Corporation Headquarters to monitor the execution of the programme, was told that the around 2.8 million entitled accounts had been credited with Rs5,000 each and 683,000 of those had withdrawn the amount.
However, the prime minister dissatisfaction with the low rate of withdrawal of the amount. "The withdrawal ratio is just 22%. There is a big gap between disbursement and withdrawal shows a lack of awareness among the people," the prime minister remarked.
He directed the relevant ministries, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the private partners to revisit the ongoing awareness drive about the Ramazan Package and found out ways to enhance its effectiveness and outreach and address the gap between the disbursement and withdrawal. (WITH INPUT FROM APP)
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