Latest news with #RamazanPackage
Express Tribune
10-03-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
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reports that 2.8 million entitled accounts had been credited with Rs5,000 each, but only 22% of recipients had withdrawn the funds.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was told that the around 2.8 million entitled accounts had been credited with Rs5,000 each and 683,000 of those had withdrawn the amount.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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Express Tribune
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Action launched against Ramazan aid extortion
On the direction of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, action has been launched against those involved in extorting money from the beneficiaries of the Ramazan package. During the action in Kasur, Bhakkar and Gujranwala, three suspects were arrested and the agents involved in the illegal business were blacklisted. In Kasur, Bilal, who illegally took Rs500 of the amount of Rs10,000 under the Ramazan package was arrested. The police sealed a mobile phone shops and a retail outlet in Bhakkar, registered cases against suspects and confiscated the machines used in the transactions. Taking strict notice of incidents of extorting extra money from the beneficiaries, the chief minister had directed the police and administration to launch a crackdown against the violators under the law. She said, "Those who grabbed illegal money from the poor and needy do not deserve any leniency." She appealed to the recipients of the Ramazan package to immediately call the relevant toll-free number in case of any complaint. She said the Punjab government was providing cash to the deserving people through digital technology to save them from standing in the long queues. Tax deduction The government has also barred banks from deducting taxes on financial assistance disbursed under the Ramazan Package for underprivileged citizens, following complaints from beneficiaries. The decision comes after several citizens reported that banks were levying a Rs1,000 tax on their payments. In response, Lahore Deputy Commissioner Syed Musa Raza convened a meeting on Wednesday with senior executives from leading commercial banks and financial institutions along with Additional Deputy Commissioner General Muhammad Shojain Vistro. The DC expressed strong disapproval of the deductions and emphasised the need for transparency in the distribution process. He directed the banks to ensure that the recipients received the full financial support intended under the Ramazan Package, without any unwarranted tax deductions. As a result of the discussions, officials reaffirmed the government's commitment to providing financial relief during Ramazan. Raza reiterated that all payments under the package would be exempt from taxation, ensuring that beneficiaries received their full entitlements. Housing scheme Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz chaired a meeting to review issues related to the three-Marla free plot scheme besides the provision of loans to beneficiaries for building their own houses. She directed the authorities concerned to improve and rehabilitate the previous 23 schemes of the Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency (PHATA) in 19 districts, and directed them to take immediate steps for the release of funds for the purpose. The chief minister said, "There is a lot of concern about providing roofs to homeless people. It gives me great pleasure to see people's houses being built under the 'Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar' programme." Earlier, the PHATA director general gave a detailed briefing about the progress made so far on the housing programme. He said repayment of loans under the programme had begun. "The repayment rate of loans taken under the programme is 100 per cent," he added. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was informed that 9,661 houses were nearing completion in ten province under the Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar programme. She directed the PHATA authorities to ensure that the target sent for the ongoing month was met.
Express Tribune
05-02-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Utility Stores to have no role in Ramazan package
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said that the government would unveil the Ramazan Relief Package this year sans the Utility Stores' role to prevent corruption and distribution of low-quality commodities to the people. "As the Holy Ramazan is about to start, I have asked the Ministry of National Food Security to bring about a Ramzan Package without the Utility Stores [Corporation (USC)] to prevent corruption and the sale of low-quality material. I had asked many months ago that this cannot go on with the Utility Stores," the prime minister said in his televised opening remarks at the meeting of the federal cabinet chaired by him. He told the cabinet members that last year, the government had received many complaints about the execution of the Ramazan Package by the Utility Stores. Therefore, the government has devised a solution to provide the facility minus the Utility Stores. The prime minister directed immediate measures to operationalise Gwadar Port on a commercial basis and instructed the formation of a committee under the chairmanship of Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal to work with all stakeholders to transform it into a modern and fully functional port. Iqbal gave a detailed briefing on Gwadar Port in the cabinet meeting. The prime minister also directed organising an international conference to create awareness about the significance of Gwadar Port. "A comprehensive marketing and awareness strategy should be devised and diplomatic efforts regarding Gwadar Port should be expedited." He also sought details of imports and exports carried out through Gwadar Port. The meeting was informed that Gwadar Port had the capacity to provide cost-effective and time-efficient access to the Persian Gulf for vessels of up to 50,000 Deadweight Tonnage (DWT) and to facilitate trans-shipment to Gulf countries. Furthermore, the port was expected to play a vital role in the development of the mining and aqua-culture sectors in Balochistan province. Western parts of China and the Central Asian States would also benefit from this port. The meeting was further informed that Gwadar Free Zone had been exempted from all federal, provincial, and local taxes and the rules for the Free Zone had been finalized. It was revealed that between 2018 and 2022, criminal negligence was shown regarding dredging at Gwadar Port which severely affected its depth. However, dredging was completed in 2022-23, after which its depth had been restored. All necessary utility services had now been provided at Gwadar Port, it was added. The meeting was also briefed about several public welfare projects in Gwadar including the Pak-China Friendship Hospital, Gwadar Institute of Technical Education, Pak-China Primary School, Gwadar Livelihood Project, Gwadar Fisheries Processing and Export Zone, and Gwadar Solar Park. The prime minister was apprised that government was also working to link Gwadar with Pakistan Railways' Main Line cuisine recipes The Gwadar-Quetta Highway was completed in 2018, benefiting areas such as Turbat, Hoshab, and Panjgur. Additionally, the remaining sections of the M-8 Motorway (Gwadar-Hoshab-Rato Dero) were under construction to connect Gwadar with Sukkur. To further enhance Gwadar-Quetta connectivity, the Nokundi-Mashkhel road was being constructed, while work on the Mashkhel-Panjgur road would commence soon, it was told. The work on Gwadar East Bay Expressway was carried out at rapid speed while work on Gwadar Safe City was being completed in collaboration with the Balochistan government. The minister proposed modernizing cargo inspection facilities at Gwadar Port and utilizing artificial intelligence for this purpose. The prime minister appreciated the briefing. About the launch of the polio vaccination drive, he mentioned the killing of a policeman Abdul Khaliq in Jamrud who was deployed on the security of the polio team and paid tribute to his sacrifice to make Pakistan a polio-free nation. He also lauded the services of PM's Coordinator on Health Dr Mukhtar, Polio Coordinator Dr Ayesha Farooq, secretary health and polio vaccinators for their tireless efforts to rid the country of this crippling disease. Apprising the cabinet members of his Quetta visit on Monday, the prime minister said he visited the hospital to inquire after the security personnel who were injured in an anti-terror operation in Kalat in which 18 security personnel were martyred and 23 terrorists were eliminated. "I met the injured. They were in high morale and were even ready to sacrifice their lives for the country. These are the martyrs and Ghazis who are resolved to rid the country of terrorism and striving day and night for the cause," he remarked. The prime minister said that the soldiers of the army, police, FC and Rangers sacrificing their lives were actually bearing the brunt of the blunderous policies of a government in the past when thousands of terrorists were set free. The cabinet members also offered Fateha for the martyred security personnel as well as the policeman on the polio duty. The prime minister expressed pleasure over the inflation coming down to a nine-year low at 2.4% from 28.73% on a month-to-month basis. He congratulated the entire nation, the cabinet members particularly the finance minister, his team, FBR and others for their efforts during the last 11 months to bring the inflation down to the lowest level. "Now, we are fully striving to head toward economic growth This is the main challenge. All of our energies will be focused on economic growth. Just like other targets, we will achieve this too," he resolved. He told the cabinet members that on Monday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a delegation to Pakistan and both sides signed an agreement under which the Kingdom would provide oil worth annual $1.2 billion on deferred payment. Besides, the Saudi Development Fund will also provide a loan for a $40 million water supply scheme project in Mansehra. He said that the entire nation would observe Kashmir Solidarity Day on Wednesday to express solidarity with their Kashmiri brethren. Prime Minister Shehbaz also lauded the approval of agricultural income tax by all four provinces as per the IMF condition and thanked the chief ministers, President Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and Mian Nawaz Sharif for their support in this regard.
