Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has formally initiated the Punjab Insaf Imdad Program (PIIP) to extend financial support to the poor during the ongoing lockdown.
Under the PIIP, the provincial government will provide Rs. 4,000 each to millions of families affected by the lockdown after transparently ascertaining their eligibility.
According to sources, citizens would be required to apply online or through SMS to avail funds from PIIP.
During the media briefing following the cabinet meeting, CM Punjab said:
The citizens will not have to visit any office for seeking aid and there will be no political interference in the program to ensure complete transparency.
Punjab government has allocated Rs.10 billion to PIIP on an emergency basis. It estimates to provide relief to 2.5 million families under PIIP.
Besides emergency financial relief, the Buzdar government has taken other key decisions as well during the cabinet meeting.
Punjab government has decided to slash business hours further after the province reported a sharp rise in Coronavirus cases. Essential businesses will now be allowed to operate between 9 am to 5 pm only. Only medical stores and pharmacies will be allowed to remain open beyond that.
CM Buzdar has also ordered to release citizens apprehended on violation of Section 144 while urging them to observe the partial lockdown and avoid travel unless absolutely necessary.
Punjab government is also setting up a 1,000-bed hospital at Expo Center in Lahore. The hospital has been divided into three parts to treat mild, severe, and critical patients separately.
The hospital has a total of 35 ventilators and 1,900 doctors have been called.
Punjab government has instituted district-level committees and tasked them to ensure the provision of the personal protection equipment (PPE) to frontline healthcare workers fighting against Coronavirus.
Moreover, the government has also started manufacturing PPE including N95 masks locally according to international standards.
It has also started a disinfection campaign to cleanse public spaces such as markets, mosques, seminaries, banks, and more.
Currently, Punjab is conducting around 1,200 daily coronavirus tests and is planning to increase it to 7,000 tests daily after the establishment of BSL-3 labs at every division in the province.
Punjab government has decided to postpone the issuance of SOPs for home quarantine for a couple of days.
SOPs for home quarantine will be issued after consultation with Chinese doctors who recently landed in Pakistan to train frontline healthcare workers in combating Coronavirus.
CM Buzdar has ensured that the supply of essential food items will remain unaffected by the partial lockdown. The government has mobilized district administrations to ensure that the hoarders are dealt with in accordance with the law.
