Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Dr Sania Nishtar announced the opening of SMS Registration Service of 8171 for enrollment of families under Ehsaas Rashan Riayat.
The SAPM said that the service has been opened to facilitate the enrollment of deserving families with limited or no access to the internet.
“Based on insights from our recent field visits to 24 small cities, we have opened the 8171 SMS service to facilitate the enrollment of deserving families with limited or no access to internet”, she said.
Under the Ehsaas Rashan Registration Drive, Dr. Sania along with Ehsaas and NBP teams recently went to 24 small cities and towns around Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Attock, Chakwal, Mianwali, Nowshera, Peshawar and Dera Ismail Khan to educate local Kiryana shopkeepers, trader associations, district administrations, local media and public on Ehsaas Rashan programme and to get their feedback.
Families earning less than Rs. 50,000 a month can register themselves under the Rashan programme of Ehsaas. Only one member of an applicant family whose cell number is issued on his personal Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) can enroll his family either through 8171 SMS service or the web-portal. For registration through 8171, the said member of a family can SMS his/her CNIC number to 8171. While Kiryana shopkeepers will only be able to register through the web-portal.
The federal cabinet recently also approved the criteria that deserving families of foreign travelers and government employees with salaries less than Rs. 31,500 can also benefit from Ehsaas Rashan Riayat. A monthly subsidy of Rs. 1,000 will be granted to every eligible family on the purchase of flour, cooking oil or ghee and pulses. A subsidy of Rs. 22 per kg will be given on the flour, Rs. 55 per kg on pulses and Rs. 105 per liter/kg on cooking oil or ghee at the designated Kiryana shops.
It is mandatory for both the buyer families and Kiryana shopkeepers to have mobile SIMs issued on their own CNICs to register for this programme. Kiryana shopkeepers also need to have their bank accounts with National Bank of Pakistan (NBP). The designated Kiryana shopkeepers will download ‘mobile Point of Sale’ (mPOS) App in their cell phones through which they will be able to deliver the subsidy to eligible buyers.
The government will give a subsidy amount and a 5-8% commission to Kiryana shopkeepers directly in the bank accounts. This is to encourage them to move from cash-based transactions to electronic dealings, open their bank accounts, and install internet-enabled devices. Lucky draws will also be held every quarter through which prizes like mobile phones, motorcycles or cash prizes would be given to grocery stores owners.