The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Wednesday approved the launch of second phase of the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme (EECP) worth Rs48 billion, under which Rs12,000 would be provided to each of the four million additional beneficiaries.
The meeting of the ECC virtually presided over by Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin also approved issuance of a series of notifications for the implementation of the Pakistan Single Window for imports and exports and constituted a committee to recommend how to make sure payment of net hydel profit to provinces, including an upfront payment of Rs87bn, without burdening the federal budget.
The EECP’s second section envisages rising the variety of common Ehsaas Kafalat beneficiaries to 8m by June by way of the continued Nationwide Socio-Financial Registry Survey (NSER). All these beneficiaries will likely be offered a six-monthly tranche (January-June, 2021) of Rs12,000 per beneficiary below Ehsaas Kafalat.
These 4m further beneficiaries will likely be identified through the ongoing NSER by using higher eligibility threshold whereas remaining below the poverty line. These beneficiaries will also be provided one-time emergency cash assistance of Rs12,000 per head to compensate for unemployment caused by Covid-19. The disbursement process will be initiated within this financial year.
