CHAKWAL, JUN 25 – Today, Dr. Sania Nishtar, made an unannounced visit to Talagang Tehsil of Chakwal together with Ehsaas team. This was the first visit of Dr. Sania since the payments began on June 16, 2021 under the phase II of Ehsaas Emergency Cash.

At the cash distribution site in Municipal Administration offices,she interacted with Ehsaas beneficiaries who had come to collect their payments.

Each one of them had 8171 messages on their phones to collect cash emergency cash or Kafaalat handout of Rs. 12,000.All of them had been identified and declared eligible through the new Ehsaas survey.

The Ehsaas Emergency Cash disbursements to the beneficiaries have been commenced last week. However, payments to newly enrolled Ehsaas Kafaalat beneficiaries are underway since January 2021. Also, the payments to new enrolees being identified through Ehsaas survey are underway.

Besides, several beneficiaries had come with their children to collect the quarterly payment of Ehsaas primary education conditional cash transfer (CCT) stipends.Dr. Sania also witnessed the quarterly payment of Ehsaas education stipends being made to mothers of children.As per Ehsaas policy, all payments are biometrically verified in real time. Girls get Rs. 2000 and boys get Rs. 1500 per quarter, when 70% school attendance is ensured.

Later, Dr. Sania joined children and their mothers at Government Boys High School, Akwal in Talagangto witness new enrolments of children from poorest households under the Ehsaas education CCT. She sat with children and mothers who were waiting in the queue to get enrolled in the programme for quarterly stipends. She also oversaw details of a child being entered in the end-to-end digital enrolment system.

Regional team of Ehsaas briefed Dr. Sania on the recently launched nationwide drive to enrol deserving children for Ehsaas educational stipends. The campaign is being rolled out at Tehsil levels in close coordination with provinces, district administration and key development stakeholders. The campaign primarily aims to enhance primary school enrolments and minimize dropouts.The Ehsaas drive entails social mobilization through Tehsil level Ehsaas field teams, compliance monitors, school teachers and mosque announcements. The Ehsaas education CCT programme is currently being executed at primary level educationacross all districts of Pakistan.

“Ehsaas is also introducing a one-time graduation bonus of Rs. 3,000 to encourage girls completing primary education.The central reason for this incentive is to tackle gender disparity in education. This will also ensure that every girl child after receiving the graduation bonus gets enrolled in secondary education programme”, said Dr. Sania while talking to local press and media.

Poverty is one of the most persistent barriers to acquiring education. Education Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs) are an important component of Ehsaas and are included in the Ehsaas framework as Policy #73 ‘Education CCTs.