On Lines of Medina
PM launches Kamyab Pakistan programme in Peshawar | Says welfare programmes being launched to benefit masses
PESHAWAR
Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed determination to make Pakistan an Islamic welfare state on the model of Riasat-e-Madina and as per vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
The prime minister expressed this while addressing a ceremony after launching ‘Kamyab Pakistan Programme’ in Peshawar on Wednesday.
The prime minister said under the programme, the government will provide interest-free loans and technical training to two million families of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said the government is also launching another important programme ‘Ehsas Ration Riayat’ to provide relief to deserving families in the wake of the current price hike. Under the programme, three basic commodities including wheat, cooking oil/ghee and pulses will be provided at subsidised rates to more than 20 million families across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Imran Khan directed the governor, chief minister, ministers and MPAs to create awareness amongst the deserving families about Ehsas Ration Programme for maximum registration.
The prime minister lauded the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for the universal health insurance scheme for the whole population in the province. He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is the pioneer of the scheme and now Punjab and Balochistan are also following in its footsteps.
The prime minister said that with the Punjab government spending Rs320 billion on the health insurance programme, the facility of health insurance will be available to every citizen of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.
He said that under the Kamyab Pakistan Programme, micro health insurance would provide free medical services worth Rs1 million annually to 7.5 million families in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Free health insurance card is a great blessing for poor people and low income groups,” he said and added that the universal free health coverage in KP was unprecedented as such facilities were not available even in the developed countries. The PM said that another welfare programme is being launched to benefit about two million poor families, adding that interest free loans up to Rs500,000 to each family, technical education and Rs2.7 million for construction of houses to live a prosperous and dignified life will be provided.
The prime minister said that the PTI had started its political journey with a clear goal to make Pakistan a true Islamic welfare state as envisioned by the forefathers in the Objective Resolution. He said when PTI came into power in 2013 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, welfare oriented programs like Health Insurance Project were prioritised to benefit poor people and low income strata.
The development projects, reforms initiatives and dedicated party leadership have resulted in an unprecedented two-third majority of PTI in the 2018 election in the province. Referring to a UNDP report, the prime minister said significant reduction of poverty has been witnessed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during 2013-18 owing to the PTI government’s prudent policies.
He said the PTI government has been succeeded in improving governance, restoring law and order situation and boosted morale of police force that was on the forefront in war against terror in 2013 in KP. Despite the coalition government during 2013-18 in KP, he said 30 per cent health insurance has been provided to people.
Appreciating the performance of NCOC, the prime minister said the country had effectively tackled coronavirus pandemic that created havoc in world including India, adding the pandemic have severally affected supply food chain in world and regional countries that caused inflation, price hike and increased prices of petroleum, gas and food commodities in Pakistan.
He said that heavy loans borrowed by previous governments have overburdened the country’s economy and added that the major chunk of revenue generated by the government was being spent to pay interests on those loans. He said that 10 new dams would be constructed in the next 10 years to address the problem of water scarcity and bolster food production. He said there are about 80,000 dams including 5,000 big dams in China.
The prime minister said the billion tree project was a landmark achievement of the PTI government and appreciated the KP government for planting billions of trees. He said reforms in industries are being introduced to bolster exports.
The prime minister said the government is providing merit-based scholarships to 6.3 million students across the country. TLTP
