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Sep 29, 2021 – New York: Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM represented Pakistan at the UNGA’s high-level meeting with Heads of State and Government on, “Jobs and Social Protection for Poverty Eradication”. Heads of State and Government expressed commitments through a Call to Action with the aim of promoting policy coherence ahead of the fall meeting of IMF and the World Bank, and meetings of G7 and G20. Also, speaking at the event were Alexander de Croo, Prime Minister, Kingdom of Belgium, co-chair, Group of Friends of Decent Work; Carlos Alvarado Quesada, President of the Republic of Costa Rica; Guillermo Lasso Mendoza, Constitutional President of the Republic of Ecuador; Alberto Fernandez, President of the Republic of Argentina; Yemi Osinbajo, Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt; Abul Kalam Abdul Momen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Béata Habyarimana, Minister for Trade and Industry of the Republic of Rwanda; Alexandra Hill Tinoco, Minister for Foreign Affairs of El Salvador; and Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships.

Sep 28, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar was the chief guest at the award ceremony organized by Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI). The ceremony aimed to honour the contributions and services incurred by various partners and individuals under Ehsaas Rehribaan program. “For the first time in Pakistan, our government has adopted a holistic approach for the sustainable regularization of street vendors”, said Dr. Sania. She also mentioned that Prime Minister remains highly concerned about vendors’ condition and is a driving force behind Ehsaas Rehribaan. Under the Ehsaas umbrella, a broader coalition of agencies- MCI, CDA, ICT Administration and PIDE, has resulted in smooth implementation across two sectors of Islamabad, which is gradually being scaled up. Dr. Nadeem-ul-Haque, Vice Chancellor, PIDE also spoke on the occasion. Presidents of U and Apna Banks also joined the event. Later, Dr. Sania distributed performance shields among high performers including Focal Person of Ehsaas Rehribaan, Administrator MCI, different officials, microfinance banks and representatives of the civil society.

Sep 22, 2021 – Islamabad: Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM was invited to speak at Women Speaker session hosted by McKinsey Middle East Office. This was a quarterly session that McKinsey conducts with inspirational female professionals. In the session, Dr. Sania shared her experiences and learnings from Ehsaas. She spoke about the current work on social protection and poverty alleviation in Pakistan and her leadership experiences in the workplace as a woman. The conversation was followed by a question and answer session with participants.

September 27, 2021 – New York: On the side-lines of 76th UNGA, Government of Pakistan hosted the high-level event on “Uplifting women and girls through access to education, financial inclusion and economic empowerment” in collaboration with United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). Ambassador Munir Akram, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to UN in New York formally opened the event. Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM was the keynote speaker. The event aimed to emphasize that in order for countries everywhere to thrive and build back better, women and girls must be given the same opportunities to grow, learn and contribute to the workforce as their male counterparts. At the event, Dr. Sania was joined by Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, Assistant Secretary General, DESA; Mirjana Spolijaric Egger, ASG and UNDP Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia; Anita, Deputy Executive Director, UN-Women. Other eminent speakers on the panel were- Pascale A. Allotey, Director, United Nations University, International Institute for Global Health; Maki Hayashikawa, Director of the Division of Education 2030 Support and Coordination at UNESCO; Anita Zaidi, President of the Gate’s Foundation Gender Equality Division; and Sharmeela Rasool, Country Representative UN-Women Pakistan.

Sep 27, 2021 – New York: Dr. Sania Nishtar was invited to speak at the 76th UNGA side-event hosted by Governments of Norway and Jamaica, World Health Organization and NCD Alliance. The virtual event titled, “Commemorating 10-years since the first Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of NCDs (2011): reflections and hope”. Dr. Sania highlighted the link between NCDs and poverty and stressed that global response to NCDs has been stalled due to the resistance of unhealthy commodity industries and disregard of NCDs within MDG framework. The session was chaired by Katie Dain, Chief Executive Officer, NCD Alliance. Other speakers on the panel included Sir George Alleyne, Director Emeritus, PAHO (1995-2003) and Ren Minghui, Assistant Director-General, Assistant Director-General. Division for Universal Health Coverage/Communicable and NCDs, WHO. Experts from Member States, WHO staff, persons living with NCDs and civil society leaders reflected on the last 10 years of progress, championing successes and opportunities for the NCD agenda over the coming decade, and how WHO is developing a forthcoming implementation roadmap for 2023-2030 in support of achieving SDG target 3.4.

Sep 24, 2021 – New York: Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM was invited to speak at the high-level side event to the 2021 UN General Assembly, organized by OPHI and the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network (MPPN). The theme of this year’s event was “Envisioning a More Equitable Future: Using Multidimensional Poverty Indices as a Policy Tool”. The event convened global leaders with a demonstrated commitment to tackling the multidimensional effects of the pandemic on the lives of people living in poverty. At the session, the leadership panel comprised of Mokgweetsi Masisi, President of Botswana and Carlos Alvarado Quesada, President of Costa Rica. Alongside Dr. Sania, Ministers from Nepal, Namibia, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Cambodia, Thailand and China also joined the ministerial panel. Talking about the Ehsaas Implementation Tracking Index (EITI), Dr. Sania stated, “Working with OPHI, Ehsaas has developed a new adaptation and application of their measurement methodology – the EITI. It offers an axiomatically articulate performance management tool, which tracks progress across hundreds of initiatives and gives an overview of how different regions, institutions, and target areas are advancing.”

Sep 23, 2021 – Islamabad: The Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division and Serena Hotels Pakistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to foster a strategic collaboration on improving living standards, infrastructure and service quality across all the five Panagahs in Islamabad. Dr. Sania Nishtar and Aziz Boolani, CEO Serena Hotels South and Central Asia witnessed the signing of MoU. The MoU followed briefing with the Prime Minister on the new strategic plan for Panagahs. The highlight of the MoU was to mark the partnership between Ehsaas and Serena, extending to all the five Ehsaas Panagahs situated at G-9/4, Tarlai, Bhara Kahu, Mandi More and Tarnol areas of Islamabad. Speaking about the collaboration, Dr. Sania said, “Prime Minister has instructed to offer best lodging and quality food to our Panagah guests in a clean and dignified environment. To achieve this in an objective and sustainable manner, PASSD and Serena have agreed to collaborate under the MoU.”

Sep 23, 2021 – Islamabad: Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM chaired the 52nd meeting of the BISP Board. The Board deliberated upon various important agenda items related to the Ehsaas cash transfer programmes being executed by BISP. Many important decisions were taken by members of the Board. The meeting was attended by Ismat Tahira Secretary BISP, Muhammad Ali Shahzada Secretary Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, and senior officials of Finance Division, Economic Affairs Division and NADRA. Amongst private sector members, Zaffar A Khan, Syed Salim Raza, and Dr. Ashfaque Hasan Khan attended the meeting. Members participated in the meeting both physically as well as virtually.

Sep 22, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar met Prime Minister Imran Khan to brief him on the existing state of Panagahs and about the comprehensive plan prepared under Ehsaas for their improvement. Dr. Nishtar informed the PM that a comprehensive project has been prepared and is ready for implementation in three phases to bring about improvement in the existing Panagahs. Prime Minister was further informed that a four-member Board would also be constituted to look after the administrative affairs of each Panagah and a digital dashboard would be developed to facilitate the monitoring of Panagahs. Talking to Dr. Sania, PM said special emphasis should be given to the Panagahs where the people throng the most. PM also directed to ensure early establishment of Panagahs to provide better facilities to labourers. Secretary Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division and Chairman CDA were also present in the meeting.

Sep 22, 2021 – Islamabad: The steering committee of Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship programme, during its ninth meeting decided to reopen the Ehsaas’ scholarship application portal on September 30, 2021. To receive new applications for the academic year 2021-22, the online portal will remain open for next two months. Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM and Dr. Shaista Sohail, Executive Director, Higher Education Commission (HEC) co-chaired the meeting. Dr. Sania stressed on the need for timely payments to students so that they do not have to take loans. “This is not a reimbursement model. Students have to be paid on time, to facilitate them”, she said. She also instructed HEC to strictly reprimand universities who do not pay students on time and those who deduct money from the Ehsaas scholarship stipend amount on account of other expenses. Dr. Sania also instructed staff to make a visibility dashboard and stressed on the need for each participating university to be transparent about when they receive money from Ehsaas, vis-à-vis, the cheque numbers and dates on which students have been given stipends.

Sep 18, 2021 – New York: While taking a lead on universal social protection, Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations convened the first meeting of Group of Friends on Social Protection alongwith Turkey, Nigeria and Costa Rica. The meeting was attended by a large number of UN member states. In her keynote address, Dr. Sania Nishtar highlighted Pakistan’s efforts to disburse cash payments of $1.25bn to more than 160 million of its citizens who were in dire need of financial support to meet the challenges posed by global economic slowdown caused by Covid-19 pandemic. Earlier, Permanent Representative of Pakistan Ambassador Munir Akram, in his welcome remarks highlighted the need for universal social protection. The World Bank as technical partner of the Group highlighted the significance of social protection instruments all over the world. During the event, several countries supported Pakistan for taking a leadership position on universal social protection. Full footage can be watched here.

September 17, 2021 – Washington, DC: While in Washington Dr. Sania Nishtar joined the World Bank’s 7th One South Conversation on leveraging technologies to build human capital and greater resilience in South Asia. The World Bank’s Regional Integration, Cooperation and Engagement in South Asia hosted the public event that was broadcast on the World Bank Group Live Page. Dr. Sania was asked to share lessons for the region from COVID-19 Ehsaas Emergency Cash (EEC). The panel included senior policy makers and representatives from governments, tech entrepreneurs, academics, and civil society representatives from South Asia. The public event was moderated by Cecile Fruman, Director, Regional Integration and Engagement, South Asia. The discussions explored the ways converging technologies can overcome regional barriers, promote cross-country collaboration to support recovery from COVID and other shocks, and build human capital and adaptable resilience in South Asia. Full footage can be watched here.

Sep 6, 2021 – Islamabad: Governor Sindh Imran Ismail inaugurated the sixth Ehsaas Panagah (shelter home) in Karachi to accommodate labourers under Ehsaas. He opened the latest Panagah in the Bakra Peri area of Lyari. Speaking on the occasion, the Governor said that the network of Ehsaas Panagahs was being expanded in the country to provide free of charge lodging facilities and meals to daily wage-earners, labourers and other destitute people.

Sep 13, 2021 – Islamabad: Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM called on Prime Minister Imran Khan. She briefed the PM on the forthcoming digital monitoring of Ehsaas Panagahs. To-date, 22 Panagahs have been opened nationwide, under the Ehsaas umbrella. She also apprised the PM on the progress of other Ehsaas programmes and initiatives.

Sep 13, 2021 – Islamabad: Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM together with a delegation of international development partners visited One Window Ehsaas Center in Sitara Market. The official delegation comprised of H.E. Christian Turner, British High Commissioner; Najy Benhassine, Country Director the World Bank; Chris Kaye, Country Director, WFP; Annabel Gerry, Development Director, FCDO; Knut Ostby, Resident Representative, UNDP Pakistan; Tobias Becker, Country Director GIZ; Stephen Langrell, Team Leader Rural Development and Economic Cooperation, EU Delegation to Pakistan; and Luis Gorjon, Chief Social Policy, UNICEF. The delegation was briefed on the One Stop Shop operations of Ehsaas which integrate all benefits and services for 14 different target groups in one space. The delegation widely lauded the One Window Ehsaas Operations and appreciated that for the first time in the country, comprehensive single window operations had been formulated to facilitate a common man.

Sep 10, 2021 – Islamabad: The School of Public Health and Center for Contemporary South at Brown University held a day-long conference on COVID-19 and South Asia. Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM was invited to speak at the “Lunch Time Plenary: COVID-19 in Pakistan”. Dr. Sania shared lessons from Pakistan. Speakers from South Asia including those from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India joined virtually. Other speakers joined from Brown University, Yale University, Harvard University, and civil society organizations. The “Lunch Time Plenary: COVID-19 in Pakistan” was followed by a moderated conversation between Dr. Sania and speakers from Brown and Harvard.

September 9, 2021 – Islamabad: Ehsaas field conference was held with all field teams of Ehsaas. Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM chaired the conference. The conference took stock of frequently asked questions about programmes of Ehsaas and how beneficiaries are benefitting in the field. Secretary Ismat Tahira, DG Noor Rehman, DG Naveed Akbar, Regional DGs from provinces, AJK and GB along with Tehsil level field teams joined the conference. 300 officers also joined online nationwide. The primary objective of conducting this conference was to share the field learnings, experiences and findings in connection with the nationwide accomplishment of door-to-door Ehsaas Survey, opening of 413 Ehsaas registration desks and Ehsaas 8171 web-portal, drive to enroll children under Ehsaas Education Stipends. Opening the conference, Dr. Sania stressed the need for shared learning and cross exposure among field teams to well-facilitate Ehsaas beneficiaries. “Ehsaas is an evidence-based programme. Field teams should learn from each other’s experiences so that issues being faced by beneficiaries can be solved firsthand”, said Dr. Sania.

September 8 , 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar was invited to keynote at the CARE & MasterCard Ignite Financial Inclusion Project Launch. CARE’s Ignite project in Pakistan funded by MasterCard unleashes the power of growth-oriented entrepreneurs, contributing to a resilient and inclusive economy. It also supports the Government’s National Financial Inclusion Strategy for enhanced formal financial access. The event was held to promote the growth of entrepreneurs in the country especially women among key stakeholders. In her speech, Dr. Sania remarked, “Enhancing financial inclusion is a key priority for the government, we are providing relief to under-privileged segments of society especially women through social safety nets and working on better financial empowerment opportunities.” She also added, “Ehsaas supported 15 million families (100 million people) during COVID-19 which is nearly half of the country’s population. Ehsaas Emergency Cash was the third largest program globally and rated as the fastest in the world by the World Bank.” Other speakers at the event were–Adil Sheraz (Country Director CARE International Pakistan), Atyab Tahir (Country Head, MasterCard), Kabeer (CEO IGNITE), Ambreen, (Chief of Retail Sales and Digitization IGNITE), Anusheh (Head of Research & Strategy IGNITE) and Shahnaz Kapadia (CEO Mera Maan).

Sep 8, 2021 -Islamabad: Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM convened a stocktake workshop with Ehsaas Panagah teams in Islamabad. Secretary of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division (PASSD), Muhammad Ali Shahzada, Malik Zaheer Abbas Khokhar, Managing Director Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal and Additional Secretary PASSD, Captain (Retd) Saeed Ahmad Nawaz were also present. “Prime Minister has given strict instructions that people visiting Panagahs should be served with dignity and there should be no compromise on quality of service, maintenance, hygiene and cleanliness and food quantity as well as quality”, emphasized Dr. Sania. “We are fully committed to improving standards and will soon introduce digital monitoring of Ehsaas Panagahs”, she further added. To ensure that people are served with utmost dignity and self-respect, Ehsaas is providing refresher training to the staff of Panagahs. The administrative, operational and monitoring staff of all five Ehsaas Panagahs including Assistant Directors, Deputy Directors and Shift Supervisors joined the workshop. During the workshop a stocktake was done of the factors which impact quality, gaps were assessed, and a strategy was developed to improve standards.

Sep 7, 2021 – Islamabad: Chief Secretary Balochistan, Mather Niaz Rana visited One Window Ehsaas Center in Sitara Market Islamabad. On the occasion, Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar SAPM was also present together with Secretary Ismat Tahira. Chief Secretary Balochistan was briefed about the first One Stop Shop of Ehsaas, ‘One Window Center’, which ensures access to all the facilities and services of Ehsaas under one roof. “One Window Ehsaas is being upscaled nationwide to serve Ehsaas beneficiaries. The miniaturised versions of One Stop Shop Ehsaas Centers will be opened in all districts of the country including Balochistan”, said Dr. Sania. CS Balochistan richly lauded the consolidation of all Ehsaas benefits and services at the Ehsaas One Window Center. Ehsaas sought a collaboration of the CS for expansion of One Window Ehsaas Operations in the province. The CS assured full support and facilitation from Balochistan to open One Window Ehsaas Centers in all districts of the province.

Sep 3, 2021 – Battagram: While in Battagram district of KP, Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM held a press conference with local print and electronic media at the DC Office. She officially announced the opening of Ehsaas 8171 web-portal: https://ehsaastracking.pass.gov.pk/. The Ehsaas survey in the country is 99.5% complete and enrolment of new Ehsaas beneficiaries based on the survey has commenced. For this reason, Ehsaas has launched the web-portal so that people can check their status and collect cash, if eligible. Dr. Sania also visited a payment campsite in Chappalgram area of Battagram to witness Ehsaas cash disbursements being made to eligible Ehsaas beneficiaries. She met with beneficiaries who were withdrawing Ehsaas cash and spoke to them about the newly launched Ehsaas 8171 web-portal. At the Ehsaas Tehsil office in Police Lines area of Battagram, she also reviewed the enrolment of children hailing from Ehsaas eligible families for Ehsaas Education Stipends. Full press conference can be watched here.

Sep 3, 2021: Creating awareness about the recently launched Ehsaas 8171 web-portal, Dr. Sania Nishtar has released an instructional video. In the interest of transparency, the final eligibility results of Ehsaas survey have been announced on the portal after determining eligibility through data analytics and rule-based procedures. Households who have been registered through survey can now easily check their eligibility status under Ehsaas Kafaalat and Ehsaas Emergency Cash-II by entering their survey token or Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) number on the portal. If eligible, they can collect their cash from the nearest Ehsaas payment centres. Households are rejected or included in the Ehsaas cash transfers based on the information collected in the survey. Instructional video can be watched here.

Sep 2, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar was a chief guest at the HEC-USAID Scholarship event jointly hosted by Higher Education Commission (HEC) and USAID. Under the umbrella of Merit and Needs based Scholarship Program (MNBSP), USAID and HEC have rolled out 700 new graduate level scholarships for women, talent hunt program for financially disadvantaged girls, and capacity building plan to support financial aid systems of forty Pakistani public sector universities. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Sania thanked USAID for supporting 700 scholarships and for supporting capacity building in women universities to promote higher education for girls in Pakistan. She said, “Providing financial access to education for the underprivileged populations, Ehsaas is running need cum merit based Ehsaas undergraduate scholarship programme nationwide offering 200,000 scholarships (50% for girls) worth Rs. 24 Billion over 4 years. With Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarships dovetailed to Ehsaas School Stipends nationwide, the unprecedented scale of Ehsaas assistance allows Pakistan, for the first time, to look holistically at measures to improve education at all ages from early schooling to under-graduate and everything in between.” Other eminent guests who joined the event were, USAID Mission Director Pakistan, Executive Director HEC, USAID officials, Vice Chancellors and students.

Sep 1, 2021 – Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan formally opened the Ehsaas Education Stipends program. Dr. Sania Nishtar briefed him on the countrywide launch of Ehsaas Education Stipends for primary, secondary, and higher secondary education. The program gives stipends from age 4-22 years—i.e., from primary to the higher secondary levels. As per Ehsaas’ weighted-in-favour-of-girls stipends policy for all conditional cash transfer programs, girls get a higher stipend across all age groups, which signals the government’s intent to facilitate girls’ education. Primary school children are provided Ehsaas Education Stipends of Rs. 1,500 for boy child and Rs. 2,000 per quarter for girl child. Secondary school children are granted Ehsaas Education Stipends of Rs. 2,500 for boys and Rs. 3,000 per quarter for girls. Students of higher secondary level are given Rs. 3,500 for boys and Rs. 4,000 per quarter for girls. The Ehsaas Education Stipends program with higher incentive for girls, will encourage parents to send their children particularly girls to schools. A one-time Ehsaas graduation bonus of Rs. 3,000 is part of Ehsaas Education Stipends program to encourage girls to complete primary education. The program is operational nationwide in 160 districts.

August 30, 2021 – Islamabad: Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation and Shafqat Mehmood, Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training co-chaired the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ehsaas and Federal Ministry for Education and Professional Training. The MoU aimed to tap additional human resources for the roll out of Ehsaas Education Stipends programme. On the occasion, a second MoU was also signed between Ehsaas and National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) to mobilize eligible families to enroll their children under Ehsaas Education Stipends. There are 18.7 million out-of-school children in the country. Ehsaas Education Stipends programme has been designed in coordination with provinces, and Federal Ministry of Education and Professional Training to avoid duplications; reduce disparities in primary to higher secondary education opportunities by raising attendance, school enrolment, and the school progression among out of school children particularly girls. Ehsaas is also signing MoUs with the Secondary Education and Higher Education/Colleges’ Departments of provinces for identifying and providing education stipends to the eligible families.

Aug 31, 2021 – Islamabad: Ehsaas Nashonuma held its programme review workshop in Islamabad. Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar chaired the review workshop. It was attended by the implementing partner World Food Programme (WFP) and Ehsaas team. The workshop highlighted the successes of the flagship anti-stunting programme of Ehsaas. Dr. Sania Nishtar highlighted the importance of the review, noting that the Government is planning to now expand as well as scale up the programme. She also remarked that Ehsaas Nashonuma was and continues to be an evidence-driven programme. To-date, 50 Ehsaas Nashonuma Centers have been opened across 14 districts. Chris Kaye, Country Director of WFP also joined the event.

Aug 29, 2021- Chakwal: Early morning, Dr. Sania Nishtar made a visit to Talagang Tehsil of Chakwal to meet the newly enrolled Ehsaas Kafaalat beneficiaries. She visited a local household who was included in Ehsaas Kafaalat through Ehsaas survey. The family had collected their first stipend of Rs. 12,000 which helped them in buying food rations. Dr. Sania sat with the family and guided them about benefits for eligible families under Ehsaas. She also asked the family to enroll their children under Ehsaas Education Stipends for quarterly stipends. While in Talagang, Dr. Sania also witnessed new registrations of children for the Ehsaas Education Stipends.

Aug 27, 2021 – Islamabad: Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation has issued an official video message on the completion of three years of government and Ehsaas. She also issued an official statement on the three year performance of Ehsaas. “Ehsaas is the largest social protection program ever in history of country, and most comprehensive globally. National Ehsaas survey has been completed after a lag of 10 years, despite COVID-19. Budget for social protection has been doubled compared to any past government’s budget and 100% budget utilized over the last 3 years. 12 million families will get cash grants this year, 30% of the country’s population. Children in all classes, in every district, of all Ehsaas eligible families are eligible for Ehsaas education stipends.” Adding further, she said, “Ehsaas has been regarded by the World Bank as a program from which other countries can learn. Ehsaas has shifted the governance paradigm in the country from, as stated by Sir Michael Barber, Shift from politics of patronage to politics of performance.” Video can be watched here.

Aug 25, 2021 – Islamabad: On Prime Minister’s special directives, the first meeting of the newly formed Panagah Advisory Council was held at Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal Headquarters. Dr. Sania Nishtar chaired the meeting. In line with PM’s instructions, a sixteen-member Advisory Council of Ehsaas Panagahs has recently been formed under the umbrella of Ehsaas. The Advisory Council has been assigned the mandate to provide valuable oversight on policy and strategic direction, institutionalization of audit and accountability systems, improving the quality of delivery, scalability, and sustainability of Ehsaas model Panagahs. The meeting was held in two sessions. The first session featured comprehensive orientation on the structure and standard operating procedures of Ehsaas Panagahs followed by a visit to the two Panagahs in Islamabad. “Panagahs’ (shelter homes) is one the Prime Minister’s priority programmes. Panagahs not only provide shelter to the labourers but also a two-time meal for them. To facilitate daily wagers, 22 Panagah facilities have been built up so far under Ehsaas countrywide”, said Dr. Sania.

August 25, 2021 – Islamabad: In a national hook up radio programme, ‘Raabta’, Dr. Sania Nishtar held the seventh e-Kacheri of Ehsaas. She informed listeners about the recently opened Ehsaas registration desks. 403 Ehsaas registration desks have been opened nationwide at Tehsil level, where beneficiaries can self-enroll themselves. Currently, the Ehsaas survey is on its last leg and deserving households who were missed out in the survey can visit registration desks for survey registration. Dr. Sania answered questions of listeners who connected with her on telephone. She also informed that 100 more registration desks will be opened in the next two weeks. The programme was also broadcast simultaneously through Facebook. Listen to the programme here.

August 24, 2021 – Islamabad: The Trust for Voluntary Organisations (TVO) convened the meeting of its newly constituted Board of Directors (BoD). TVO is one of the executing agencies of Ehsaas, which has been revitalized after six years under the Ehsaas framework. Prior to the board meeting this morning, Dr. Sania Nishtar joined the Board members and briefed them on the overarching Ehsaas framework. After a preliminary briefing, Dr. Sania left the meeting. The Board meeting then formally commenced its first proceedings for the whole day. Several important matters were discussed and decided, including the annual action plan, budget and institutionalization of audit systems. The Board also elected Syed Ghazanfar Abbas Jilani, Federal Secretary (R) as a Chairperson, while elected Tariq Khan Baluch, Development Specialist and Hidayat Ullah Khan, Development Expert as the two Vice Chairpersons.

Aug 23, 2021 – Islamabad: Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM along with Secretary Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division Muhammad Ali Shahzada convened a meeting to review preparations for the nationwide expansion of Ehsaas Tahafuz. The project steering committee of Ehsaas Tahafuz has recently approved the expansion of Tahafuz to 14 public sector hospitals in all federating units. The Ehsaas team working on the scale-up of Ehsaas Tahafuz briefed the meeting about the current progress. Ehsaas Tahafuz is Pakistan’s first shock-oriented precision safety net being introduced under the umbrella of Ehsaas.

Aug 23, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar convened a meeting with Ehsaas team to review preparations for the forthcoming Ehsaas portal. Through the web-portal, the people who have been registered through Ehsaas survey or Ehsaas Registration Desk will be able to find their eligibility under Ehsaas. By simply entering their Computerized National Identity Card numbers (CNICs), people will be able to check their eligibility status under Ehsaas Kafaalat and Ehsaas Emergency Cash-II. Currently, the preparations for launch of Ehsaas portal are in final stages. The portal will be launched next week. Secretary Ismat Tahira was also present in the meeting.

Aug 21, 2021 – Khyber: Federal Minister of Religious Affairs, Noor-ul-Haq Qadri opened Ehsaas Nashonuma Center in Mula Gori Tehsil of Khyber Tribal District. Ehsaas Nashonuma programme is a health and nutrition conditional cash transfer programme which aims to address stunting in children under 23 months of age. So far, 50 Ehsaas Nashonuma centers have been established at Tehsil level health facilities across 14 districts including Khyber to provide specialized nutrition food for pregnant and lactating women and children under 23 months, conditional cash transfer on quarterly basis, immunization, antenatal care/postnatal care and awareness sessions. At the center, Noor-ul-Haq Qadri also interacted with the staff and beneficiaries.

Aug 20, 2021 – Islamabad: Under the Ehsaas umbrella, the 51^st meeting of the of the BISP board was held at BISP Headquarters, Islamabad. Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM chaired the meeting. During the meeting, the Board deliberated upon various important agenda items related to the expansion of cash transfer programmes being executed by BISP under the Ehsaas framework. A vibrant discussion took place, deep dive analysis was carried out and many important decisions were taken by members of the board. The meeting was attended by Ismat Tahira Secretary BISP, Muhammad Ali Shahzada Secretary Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, and senior officials of Finance Division, Economic Affairs Division and NADRA. Amongst private sector members, Zaffar A Khan, Syed Salim Raza, Qazi Azmat Isa, and Dr. Ahsfaque Hasan Khan attended the meeting. Members participated in the meeting both physically as well as virtually

August 20, 2021- Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan announced the expansion of ‘Ehsaas Koye Bhooka Na Soye’ (EKBNS) program. He also inaugurated the four food trucks that would serve free food to daily wage earners across Multan, Gujranwala and Lahore. Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar SAPM and Managing Director Pakistan-Bait-ul-Mal (PBM), Malik Zaheer Abbas Khokhar briefed the PM on the EKBNS expansion plan. Ehsaas has been running 12 trucks in 5 cities (Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, Faisalabad and Peshawar) and based on lessons learnt the program is being expanded to 7 cities with the addition of 4 more trucks for Multan, Gujranwala and Lahore, taking the total number of trucks to 16. Prime Minister announced that by October 2021, the EKBNS operations will be expanded to all four provinces, AJK and GB with the overall fleet of 40 food trucks in 29 cities that will feed 40,000 people every day and 1.46 million people, annually.

August 13, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar was invited as a Chief Guest in the second virtual session of the Pakistan Inequality Debates, entitled “Policy as a Driver of Inequality: Centering People for Inclusive Policy”. The debate was based on UNDP Pakistan’s National Human Development Report 2020: The Ps of Inequality: People, Policy and Power. The session was held as part of a series of national and provincial webinars, “The Pakistani Inequality Debates” that feature eminent thought leaders and policy makers. Speakers who joined the session together with Dr. Sania were—Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, Former Governor SBP; Knut Ostby, Resident Representative, UNDP Pakistan; Dr. Hafeez Pasha, Lead Author NHDR 2020; and Dr. Abid Suleri, Executive Director SDPI. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Sania stated, “This fiscal year is very important for us, as the new Ehsaas survey is being completed, based on which a number of programs will be scaled up nationwide for 14 target groups. In addition to the survey, we have completed Phase-1 of ‘Ehsaas BRI’, the building and rebuilding institutions initiative, we have put in place new programs—and we have done all this in tandem with the roll out of COVID-19 Ehsaas emergency cash, through which we reached out to nearly 40% of the country’s households.”

August 12, 2021 – Islamabad: For addressing the challenge of financing street vendors, PIDE and Pakistan Microfinance Network (PMN) organized a webinar for concerned stakeholders. Dr. Sania Nishtar chaired the webinar. The webinar aimed to create awareness among the microfinance community about the commercial prospects of financing street vendors and government facilitation in viable product development under Ehsaas Rehribaan. Other speakers who joined the webinar were— Amer Ali Ahmed, Chairman CDA; Dr. Nadeem-ul-Haque, VC PIDE; Syeda Shafaq Hashmi, Administrator MCI; and Presidents of Microfinance Banks and Institutions. Zia Banday, Focal person, Ehsaas Rehribaan Initiative briefed the participants on the potential of street economy. U Microfinance Bank and Apna Microfinance Bank, pioneers in cart financing, presented their successfully launched products. “Ehsaas Rehribaan is a pioneering experience in Pakistan, whereby a multi-partite engagement of federal and local governments along with think tank and microfinance institutions are collectively structuring a sustainable intervention for enhancing street livelihoods”, said Dr. Sania.

August 11, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar was a chief guest at the international consultation workshop on, “Crop mapping and zoning for strengthening sustainable agricultural practices, policy support and livelihood improvement through Earth observation applications in Pakistan”. The workshop was organized by Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) in collaboration with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Islamabad. Addressing the opening session, Dr. Sania stated, “Agricultural is and will remain the absolute priority of our government. That is why, agriculture is a whole of the government multisectoral agenda, as embedded in the Ehsaas framework.” She further added, “Being an agrarian economy, we strongly need to invest in research, modernization of hardware and software in agriculture, and focus on sustainability of the agri- sector.” Participants from national, provincial and non-governmental organizations working in the areas of agriculture, climate change, food security, water and irrigation participated in the workshop. Other eminent speakers who joined the opening session were Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, ICIMOD, Nepal; Bashir Ahmed, Director, Climate, Energy and Water Research Institute (CEWRI), PARC; Faisal Qamar, Group Lead Food Security, ICIMOD; and Muhammad Ismail, Country Representative, Pakistan Office, ICIMOD.

August 7, 2021 – Lahore: Dr. Sania Nishtar made a visit to Lahore to review the recently opened Ehsaas Registration Desks. Under Ehsaas framework, the registration desks will open nationwide in the month of August. Families in need, whose survey has not been conducted for some reason can self-enrol themselves in Ehsaas programme through registration desks. To-date, the Ehsaas survey is 98.14 percent complete throughout the country. However, the survey is currently underway in Lahore. Dr. Sania also reviewed the pace of survey activities in Lahore. To review the registration desk operations, Dr. Sania visited Comprehensive High School in Garhi Shahu area of Lahore. She also interacted with staff and women who were waiting for registration. Women had come to Ehsaas desks with CNICs in their hands for registration. Dr. Sania also oversaw details of a woman being enrolled at the desk. Currently three registration desks are fully functional in Lahore. Four more Ehsaas desks will open next week in Lahore Cantt to facilitate self-registration.

August 7, 2021 – Lahore: While in Lahore, Dr. Sania Nishtar reviewed the pace of survey activities in Lahore. To-date, the Ehsaas survey is 98.14 percent complete throughout the country. However, the survey is currently underway in Lahore. She visited a local household in Ghoray Shah, Tezab Ahata area of Lahore to oversee their survey enrolment under Ehsaas. Later, Dr. Sania also met with children and their mothers to oversee new enrolments of children for the Ehsaas School Stipends. “Ehsaas education stipends are being scaled-up to secondary and higher secondary levels as well”, Dr. Sania stated. During the visit, Dr. Sania was joined by Secretary Ismat Tahira and other senior officials of Ehsaas.

August 5, 2021 – Brussels: Dr. Sania Nishtar joined a select group of senior women leaders at the Women Political Leaders (WPL) Dialogue for South Asia. The theme of the dialogue was, “Policy Innovations and Solutions in support of Healthy Women and Healthy Economies”. The WPL dialogue discussed the important links between women’s contributions to health, economic growth, and gender equity. The dialogue brought together political and health experts from South Asia to discuss innovations and solutions that are helping to drive transformative policy changes and advance gender equity, both in local health systems and across the broader society. Together with Dr. Sania, other panellists were Felicia Knaul, Director Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas, Professor Miller School of Medicine, First Lady University of Miami, United States of America; Nurhayati Ali Assegaf, Member of Parliament, House of Representatives Indonesia; President Geneva Council for International Affairs & Development, Member WPL Board; Shandana Gulzar Khan, Chairperson & Member of National Assembly, Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Pakistan; and other outstanding personalities from South Asia with renowned international expertise.

August 5, 2021 – Islamabad: The project steering committee of Ehsaas Tahafuz came to the table to deliberate on the national scale-up of the programme. Chaired by Dr. Sania Nishtar, the meeting discussed and approved the expansion of Tahafuz to 14 public sector hospitals across all federating units, treatment packages to be covered by service provider hospitals and grievance redressal and patient service mechanism. The committee also reviewed and approved the terms of reference of the Tahafuz expert committee. Ehsaas Tahafuz Steering Committee has been tasked to provide managerial and strategic oversight to Ehsaas Tahafuz. The meeting was held at the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division (PASSD). Together with committee members and Tahafuz team, Secretary Muhammad Ali Shahzada and Senior Joint Secretary of the Division, Niaz Muhammad Khan also joined the meeting.

Aug 4, 2021 – Islamabad: Hartwig Schafer, South Asia Regional Vice President (SARVP), the World Bank visited Ehsaas offices. Dr. Sania Nishtar together with Ehsaas team welcomed the SARVP and his delegation. She briefed them on the deep-rooted reforms embedded in the design and roll out of Ehsaas programmes, policies, reforms and initiatives. Schafer congratulated Ehsaas for leading an incredible role not just amid COVID-19 pandemic but also in building back better post-COVID. The meeting aimed to discuss the Bank’s ongoing engagements with the government of Pakistan’s Ehsaas. “Many lessons can be learnt by developed and developing countries from the social protection and poverty alleviation experience of Ehsaas”, commented Schafer. He assured full assistance of the World Bank to antipoverty efforts undertaken under Ehsaas. He also praised the Ehsaas 50% plus benefits policy for women and girls. Hartwig Schafer was leading a delegation consisting of high-ranking officials from the World Bank- Najy Benhassine, Country Director; Gailius J. Draugelis, Operations Manager; and Amjad Zafar, Senior Social Protection Specialist.

Aug 2, 2021 – Islamabad: UN Women Country Representative, Sharmeela Rassool, called on Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM at Ehsaas offices. The meeting explored areas of synergy and collaborations under Ehsaas. In her welcome remarks, Dr. Sania stated, “We have introduced a number of initiatives under Ehsaas that are aimed at promoting gender mainstreaming and empowering women.” UN Women Country Representative highly lauded the “Ehsaas 50% plus benefits policy” which ensures that at least 50% of all beneficiaries targeted by the programme across initiatives are women. Other senior officials from UN Women country office also joined the meeting. UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women.

August 1, 2021 – Faisalabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar opened the Pak Korea Nutrition Center (PKNC) at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF). Established under the Ehsaas framework (Policy # 59), the national nutrition center, ‘PKNC’ is the first of its kind, meant to address the malnutrition issue that has hit more than 50 percent of the population. Dr. Sania also thanked government of Korea for their collaboration. At the university, Dr. Sania was warmly welcomed by the Vice Chancellor of UAF, Professor Dr. Iqrar Ahmed Khan. Addressing the launching ceremony, Dr. Sania said, “I am particularly keen on exploring the feasibility of developing a school meals programme under the Ehsaas framework in collaboration with University of Agriculture Faisalabad. PKNC will guide the policy direction to address the issue of malnutrition in the country.” Adding further, she said, “Tackling malnutrition is also embedded in the Ehsaas strategy post- COVID-19.”

August 1, 2021 – Faisalabad: Dr. Sania was invited by University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) to launch the Pak Korea Nutrition Center (PKNC) under the Ehsaas framework. During the visit to UAF, Dr. Sania was also briefed about the disbursement of Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarships. In total 1,868 Ehsaas scholarships were given to students of UAF this year. Fifty percent of scholarships went to girls. Dr. Sania also awarded Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarships among students of UAF. She interacted with awardees to gain insights on Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship Policy. “For the academic year 2020/21, total 92,003 scholarships worth Rs. 8.4 Billion are being awarded nationwide”, said Dr. Sania.

July 31, 2021 – Islamabad: As part of Prime Minister’s initiative, Ehsaas opened 7 new Panagahs in the month of July 2021. Out of newly operationalized seven Panagahs, five have been set up in Nushki, Washuk, Kharan, Quetta and Chaman areas of Balochistan and 2 in Swat and Abbottabad districts of KP. Managing Director, Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) inaugurated these new Panagahs. The “Ehsaas Panagahs” is one of the priority programmes of Prime Minister Imran Khan. Collectively, 22 Ehsaas Panagahs have been set up nationwide, so far under the direct supervision of PBM. These model Panagahs of Ehsaas provide free of cost, one star plus bed and breakfast facility with meals and essentials to daily wage earners and labourers.

July 31, 2021 – Islamabad: The Prime Minister has approved the One Window Ehsaas Policy. “With One Window Ehsaas policy in place, the aim is to deliver services through a single window, a one-stop shop”, stated Dr. Sania Nishtar. The overarching Ehsaas Strategy stipulated the creation of “One-Window Ehsaas” (Policy # 4) to enable delivery of the multiple Ehsaas programs through a single window, and to address issues in social protection programs. The policy entails six sets of actions: firstly, a One Stop Shop, the Ehsaas Physical Center; secondly, back office digital interface; thirdly, a public facing digital information and services platform; the fourth component is a mobile app; the fifth component is the integrated database; and finally, the Ehsaas One-Window Beneficiary Selection and Targeting Policy. Collectively, the six pillars of One Window policy will increase cohesiveness and coordination across the different programmes offered by different implementing organizations and will improve beneficiary experience. Policy can be accessed here.

July 30, 2021 – Rawalpindi: Sitting under the Ehsaas umbrella, Tahafuz is a patient centric, shock-oriented programme that caters to one-time catastrophic health costs for those who lack ability to bear the heavy expenditures. To stocktake the progress of Ehsaas Tahafuz operations, Dr. Sania Nishtar made an unannounced visit to Tahafuz Desk in Holy Family Hospital (HFH), Rawalpindi. During the visit, she met with patients and their attendants, technical team of medical experts, hospital administrators and programme verifiers. Dr. Sania also visited Emergency, Ophthalmology and ICU wards and took feedback of patients and their attendants about the medical support extended through Tahafuz. “Patient feedback and first-hand insights will help in the Ehsaas Tahafuz scale-up, later this year”, said Dr. Sania. To-date, 612 deserving patients have been served at HFH, Rawalpindi. To facilitate patients in need, a facilitation desk has also been established at the HFH to identify the eligible beneficiaries for Tahafuz.

July 30, 2021 – Islamabad: Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM called on Prime Minister Imran Khan to brief him on the next six monthly plan of Ehsaas. PM was briefed on the programs and initiatives that will be launched under the umbrella of Ehsaas in next six months. During the meeting, PM approved the detailed six-monthly plan of Ehsaas. Dr. Sania also briefed the PM on the progress of Ehsaas in setting up model Panagahs under ‘Mazdoor ka Ehsaas’. To-date, 22 model Ehsaas Panagahs have been established in the country. PM emphasized to well maintain the standards of Ehsaas Panagahs. Panagahs not only provide shelter to daily wage earners but also a two-time meal to them.

July 29, 2021- Islamabad: The Ehsaas Rehribaan initiative is being set up in Islamabad under the specific direction of the Prime Minister. Dr. Sania Nishtar made a visit to Ehsaas Rehribaan site in G-11 Markaz, Islamabad. She interacted with street vendors and reviewed the ongoing street vending interventions under the initiative. Representatives of three microfinance banks, namely U- Microfinance Bank, Apna Microfinance Bank and Mobilink Microfinance Bank were also present at the site. They briefed Dr. Sania about various microfinancing facilities available for vendors under Ehsaas Rehribaan initiative. “With the successful launch of the Ehsaas Rehribaan project in G-11 and G-10 commercial areas of Islamabad, government is aiming for the methodical and phased scale-up of the initiative”, stated Dr. Sania. At present, street vendors in G-11 and G-10 areas are getting regularized through the acquisition of pre-approved design carts either on their own account or through microfinance loans. Later on, the initiative will be expanded to the entire capital.

July 28, 2021 – Islamabad: This World Hepatitis Day 2021, Dr. Sania Nishtar joined the high-level global talk show hosted by World Health Organization (WHO). The theme of World Hepatitis Day this year was “Hepatitis can’t wait” conveying the urgency of efforts needed to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. Contributions and stories from countries from different WHO regions were showcased at the event. Speaking in the panel alongside WHO’s senior leadership, Dr. Sania reflected on the lessons learned from the innovations developed under government of Pakistan’s Ehsaas Tahafuz programme. She also highlighted government of Pakistan’s efforts towards combating viral hepatitis. Further, she talked about the recent government policy which mandates the use of auto-disable syringes; this policy has been approved by Cabinet. Alongside Dr. Sania, other panelists were: Dr. Hala Zayed, Minister of Health and Population, Egypt; Dr. Enkhbold Sereejav, Minister of Health Mongolia; and Arnaldo Medeiros, Vice-Minister for Health Surveillance at the Ministry of Health, Brazil.

July 24, 2021 – Islamabad: As chair of the steering committee that oversees the Ehsaas targeted commodity subsidies initiative, Dr. Sania Nishtar convened a meeting with the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) and National Bank of Pakistan (NBP). The meeting aimed to understand new regulations which allow open and closed framework agreements with multiple vendors. Dr. Sania also visited several retail settings to plan for the Ehsaas targeted commodity subsidies initiative. The visit gauged digitization readiness of grocery retailers that is an execution prerequisite. “Field learnings will inform Ehsaas policy to mobilize stakeholders”, said Dr. Sania.

July 20, 2021 – Beijing: Dr. Sania Nishtar was invited to speak at Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) Forum on, ‘Women’s Education and Poverty Reduction’ held in Beijing. In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of SCO, the Forum was hosted by All China Women’s Federation in cooperation with the Good-Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation Commission of the SCO and SCO Secretariat in Beijing. In her speech, Dr. Sania remarked, “Progress is simply not possible without women. This principle sits at the core of Ehsaas. We therefore have Ehsaas 50%+ benefits for women and girls’ policy, which means that in each of Ehsaas’ programs more than 50% of the benefits are dedicated for women and girls.” She further added, “Ehsaas also has a new policy to incentivize girls’ education, which is evidenced in a recent decision to grant a higher stipend for girls in our education conditional cash transfer program.” Other speakers were– Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, First Lady of Uzbekistan, Deputy Prime Minister of Tajikistan, First Lady of Afghanistan, Vice President of Iran, USG of the UN & Executive Director of UN Women, Secretary-General of SCO, President of the Congress of Women of Kyrgyz Republic, and President of Mongolian Women’s Federation.

July 16, 2021 – Islamabad: With yesterday being an international youth skills day, Dr. Sania Nishtar convened a meeting with the technology team of Ehsaas on the forthcoming Ehsaas Digital Hunar programme. The Ehsaas Digital Hunar programme is aimed to empower the disadvantaged youth through digital skills, in order to make them employment ready. Pakistan currently has one of the youngest populations in the world. The Digital Hunar is being designed to deliver 3 to 6 month virtual programmes with in-demand market skills and hundred percent employability for the underprivileged youth. The programme includes the five resources: curriculum design & development; learning management system; affiliation programme with academia and private institutes; training programme; and freelance portal.

July 15, 2021 – Islamabad: Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM along with Ehsaas team convened the sixth e-Kacheri of Ehsaas. The e-Kacheri was broadcast through Radio Pakistan’s national hook up programme, ‘Raabta’ and Facebook, @EhsaasOffcialPK. She answered queries of Ehsaas beneficiaries who phoned her from different parts of country including Dera Ghazi Khan, Sadiqabad, Sukkur, Swat and Mianwali. Callers asked about the ongoing payments under Ehsaas Kafaalat and Ehsaas Emergency Cash-II. Talking to listeners, Dr. Sania announced that Ehsaas registration desks will be reopened throughout the country after the completion of Ehsaas survey by July 31, 2021. Full programme can be watched here.

July 15, 2021 – Islamabad: A delegation of senior officials from Nigeria was briefed on Ehsaas at the meeting hosted by Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division. The delegation comprised of of over 30 civilian and military officers enrolled in Senior Executive Course of the ‘National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies’ in Nigeria. Dr. Sania Nishtar welcomed the delegation and briefed them on the multicomponent social protection strategy and widespread operations of Ehsaas. Mainly, the meeting discussed significance of social protection at both the country and global levels in the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic and explored multilateral collaborative options to foster social protection experience sharing between Nigeria and Pakistan. From Ehsaas, Secretary Ismat Tahira and Additional Secretary Capt. Saeed Ahmad Nawaz also briefed the delegation. The presentation was followed by a detailed question-and-answer session. Later, the delegation visited the first One Window Ehsaas Center in Sitara Market Islamabad to see all Ehsaas services and benefits being provided to beneficiaries under one roof.

July 14, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar convened the meeting of steering committee for the forthcoming Ehsaas Targeted Subsidies programme. The steering committee for the programme has been constituted on the instructions of the Prime Minister. The Committee has been principally mandated to oversee the execution of the targeted commodity subsidies programme. This programme will be implemented by December 2021. With Dr. Sania in chair, Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Deputy Governor SBP, President National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Secretary Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, Secretary BISP and Managing Director Utility Stores Corporation joined the steering committee meeting. They were also joined by senior officials and representatives from Finance Division, Industries and Production Division and Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited. “Coming under the umbrella of Ehsaas, Targeted Commodity Subsidies programme will be executed through collaboration with Utility stores and NBP. Based on policy articulated by the Ministry of Finance, and regulatory support by SBP, the Government will enable Ehsaas beneficiaries being identified through new Ehsaas survey to get subsidized rates”, said Dr. Sania.

July 14, 2021 – Tokyo: July 14, 2021 – Tokyo: Dr. Sania Nishtar was invited to speak as a sole headline presenter at the international policy dialogue hosted by Asian Development Bank Institute in Tokyo. This was a one-year follow-up event, “From Emergency to Recovery: Social Safety Nets beyond the COVID-19 Crisis.” The high-level policy dialogue aimed to promote dialogue on the future of safety nets and social protection in Asia. It brought together policymakers who discussed country experiences and lessons learned from a year of safety nets. Dr. Sania keynoted the opening session and shared Pakistan’s story of the Ehsaas Emergency Cash last year, including the challenges and breakthroughs. Tetsushi Sonobe, Dean & CEO, Asian Development Bank Institute opened the event. Other distinguished speakers included Anir Chowdhury, Policy Advisor to the Government of Bangladesh, Information and Communication Technology Division and Cabinet Division; Huck-ju Kwon, Professor, Asia Development Institute, Graduate School of Public Administration, Seoul National University; and Michiel Van Der Auwera, Senior Social Development Specialist, Asian Development Bank. At the dialogue, Ehsaas programme was highly praised for its effective outreach and transparent delivery mechanisms.

July 7, 2021 – Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan congratulated the Ehsaas Team, National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) for effective response to the Covid-19 pandemic. In a tweet, he also thanked God Almighty for His mercy during difficult times. The Prime Minister also shared Economist Magazine’s normalcy index which declares Pakistan amongst the best performing countries for handling Covid-19. With a score of 84.4, Pakistan ranks third amongst fifty countries tracked by the Economist Magazine for return to pre pandemic life. However, as the threat of COVID-19 continues, the government continues warning masses to ensure implementation of SOPs on the basis of confirmed reports of a definitive uptick in COVID-19 cases, percentage positivity, since last week.

July 7, 2021 -New York: Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM keynoted another HLPF session titled on, “SDGs in focus, Goal 1,2,8 and 17”. The session was part of the high-level political forum (HLPF) on sustainable development which is the core United Nations platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The meeting of the HLPF 2021 took place from 6 July to 15 July 2021 under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. In the session, other speakers included ECOSOC Vice President, Collin Vexin Kelapile, Permanent Representative of Botswana; ASG Maria Francesca Spatolisano of DESA; Yongyi Min, Chief, SDG Monitoring Section, UNDESA/Statistics Division; Gerda Verburg, Coordinator at Scaling-Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement; Guy Rider, DG of ILO; Aloysius Ordu, Head, Africa Growth Initiative Brookings Institution; Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights; Meryame Kitir, Belgian Minister for Development Cooperation; Silvana Eugenia Vargas Winstanley, Minister of Development and Social Inclusion, Peru; Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD; and Maximo Tereo, FAO Chief Economist. Full session can be watched here.

July 7, 2021 – New York: The Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN in collaboration with the Governments of Finland and Costa Rica, World Bank, UNDESA and Ehsaas hosted a high-level side event on, “An Inflection Point on Social Protection” in New York. H.E. Ambassador Munir Akram, President of Economic and Social Council chaired the event. The session was keynoted by Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM along with the Foreign Minister of Costa Rica, Mr. Rodolfo Solano Quiros and Under Secretary General UNDESA Mr. Liu Zhenmin. The event was held to promote the establishment of a platform involving governments and stakeholders, who, recognizing the upheaval and distress of the pandemic are considering possible options to accelerate global social protection knowledge and practice. The Permanent Representatives of Finland and Costa Rica also addressed the event and reiterated the importance of global networking in social protection. Full session can be watched here.

July 7, 2021-New York: During her visit to New York, Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM held a meeting with Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). The meeting discussed ways to upscale social protection and fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) globally. Dr. Nishtar was accompanied by the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations New York, Ambassador Munir Akram. Dr. Nishtar was in New York to represent Pakistan at the United Nations’ High Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2021. Making use of this opportunity, Dr. Nishtar joined several high-level events on the sidelines of HLPF.

July 7, 2021-New York: While in New York, Dr. Sania Nishtar met various members of the New York-based Pakistani community. She briefed about what Ehsaas entails, its components, progress underway, its priorities, partnership approach, challenges & opportunities and what success entails. Dr. Nishtar also replied to various questions from participants regarding the provision and management of funds and rule-based procedures. She also briefed them about digitally enabled Ehsaas Donations Management System which is on the anvil. Dr. Nishtar mentioned that the Ehsaas program was being run totally on apolitical basis. “The government is working to make Ehsaas fully digital in order to ensure transparency in the provision and management of funds”, she added. Pakistani expatriates richly lauded contributions of Ehsaas, particularly in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Nishtar was in New York to represent Pakistan at the United Nations’ High Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2021.

July 6, 2021 – New York: Dr. Sania Nishtar was invited to speak at UN’s high-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development. The session on, “The SDGs in time of crises: A sustainable, inclusive and resilient recovery from COVID-19 as an opportunity to realise the SDGs” had a townhall format to accommodate many high-level speakers given the importance of topic and various dimensions that needed to be covered for a sustainable, inclusive and resilient recovery from COVID-19 pandemic. This session was convened by ECOSOC, under the Presidency of Pakistan. Bringing Pakistan’s perspective to the table, Dr. Sania highlighted that the Pandemic has unearthed an opportunity to recast the role of the welfare state, which needs to be a major part of the re-commitment to agenda 2030. The session was moderated by Achim Steiner, Administrator of UNDP. The high-level political forum on sustainable development is the core United Nations platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

July 6, 2021 – New York: Dr. Nishtar was in New York to represent Pakistan at the United Nations’ High Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2021 on Sustainable Development. During the visit, Permanent Mission of Pakistan to United Nations in New York organized a press briefing of Dr. Sania with UN correspondents at the UN Headquarters. Dr. Sania briefed UN correspondents about the Government of Pakistan’s wide ranging social protection response to COVID-19 under Ehsaas program. She also briefed them about details of the forthcoming high-level side event on social protection that was scheduled on July 7. The high-level side event, she informed, would be hosted by Permanent Mission of Pakistan to UN in New York in collaboration with the Governments of Finland and Costa Rica, World Bank, UNDESA and Ehsaas. She also responded to questions of correspondents with regard to Ehsaas program. Full footage can be watched here.

July 1, 2021 – Islamabad: The 36th meeting of sub-committee VII of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was held with Riaz Fatyana, MNA in chair, joined by the two members: Sardar Nasrullah Khan Dreshak, MNA and Senator Muhammad Talha Mehmood. Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM briefed them on Ehsaas programs and initiatives. The sub-committee commended the wide-ranging scale of Ehsaas, well-articulated strategy, multisectoral character, governance and integrity policy, rule- based procedures, and transparency measures hardwired in the design and execution of Ehsaas. The sub-committee was also briefed in the control room of the Ehsaas survey. They were informed about the integrity features. Further, Dr. Sania informed the sub-committee on an extensive process of governance reforms commenced in Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division and its implementing agencies to deliver Ehsaas. The sub-committee lauded the efficient use of technology and data under Ehsaas, which underpin tracking of multisectoral programs, initiatives and policies to ensure robust governance discipline throughout its operations. PAC is the supreme parliamentary forum for accountability of federal government departments.

July 1, 2021 – Paris: Dr. Sania Nishtar was invited to speak at a high level event hosted by Government of France, World Health Organization (WHO) and Women in Global Health (WGH). Part of Generation Equality Forum, the high-level event themed, “Achieving gender-transformative policy action”. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Sania Nishtar said, “As the world begins to build back post-COVID, we must put women inclusion at the heart of recovery efforts.” Further, she reflected on Ehsaas 50% plus benefits policy for women that is evenly embedded in over 280 Ehsaas programs, initiatives and policy actions. At the forum, Heads of State and Government, international organizations, civil society, the private sector and youth organizations gathered to launch the Global Acceleration Plan for Gender Equality, announcing concrete commitments and strengthen intergenerational, multi-stakeholder partnerships to advance gender equality over the next five years.

June 30, 2021-Islamabad: Ehsaas hosted a briefing on Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition’s Foresight report, ‘Future Food Systems: For People, our planet and prosperity’. The virtual briefing principally aimed to brief policy makers in Pakistan on the latest evidence to help make food systems more resilient and able to deliver healthy, sustainable diets to all. Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM chaired the session. From the Global Panel’s side, Sir John Beddington, Chair; Prof Sandy Thomas, Director and Prof Tim Benton, Co-chair, Foresight Lead Expert Group gave briefing. Thanking experts for the insightful briefing, Dr. Sania concluded, “The report has important insights to guide food systems transformation.” The briefing was also joined by Coordinators and Focal Persons on Nutrition from provinces along with senior officials and representatives from World Food Programme, UNICEF, FAO, Nutrition International and Utility Stores Corporation of Pakistan.

June30, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar held the fifth e-Kacheri of Ehsaas with Ehsaas beneficiaries. The e-Kacheri was broadcast through Radio Pakistan’s national hook up programme, ‘Raabta’, Pakistan Television and Facebook, @EhsaasOffcialPK. Connecting with masses, Dr. Sania informed that Ehsaas registration desks will be reopened after July 15, 2021. She answered queries of Ehsaas beneficiaries who phoned her from far flung parts of country. To the question, she responded that Ehsaas 8171 is currently closed and will reopen after July 15, 2021. Callers also asked about the ongoing payments under the second round of Ehsaas Emergency Cash, Ehsaas Kafaalat and Ehsaas education stipends. Full programme can be watched here.

June 30, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar held an open house with print and electronic media at the One Window Ehsaas Center in Sitara Market Islamabad. Media guests were briefed about the recently opened first One Window Ehsaas Center, which is aimed at ensuring access to all the facilities and services of Ehsaas in one space. “Similar One Stop Shop Ehsaas Centers will be opened in 154 districts to serve Ehsaas beneficiaries”, said Dr. Sania while briefing media. Giving an interactive demonstration, Dr. Sania informed that One Window of Ehsaas has six pillars: firstly, a one stop shop, the Ehsaas Center; secondly, back office digital interface; thirdly, a public facing digital information and services platform; the fourth component is a mobile app; the fifth component is cognitive API architecture—the integrated database; and finally, the Ehsaas One-Window Beneficiary Selection and Targeting Policy. Prime Minister had inaugurated this first One Window Ehsaas on June 9, 2021. After the briefing, the media guests were given a round of the facility by Dr. Sania wherein they explored operations of One Window Ehsaas Center, learnt about all Ehsaas facilities, and met with staff and beneficiaries. Full footage here.

June 29, 2021: The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Islamabad, in partnership with U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, concluded the seventh edition of the Startup Cup Finale 2021. Dr. Sania Nishtar was invited as a chief guest on the occasion. Over 500 startups competed in the various stages of the competition, which included coaching and business readiness workshops. From the final 15 startups, the first prize of 1 million rupees went to Scary Ammi, Pakistan’s first mothering community application. “Initiatives like the Pakistan Startup Cup are so important for Pakistan. With such a high percentage of youth in the country, it is important for our young population to learn entrepreneurial skills that will not only help them but also create opportunities for others as their businesses grow”, said Dr. Sania while congratulating the winners and organizers. The Startup Cup is Pakistan’s largest startup competition. This year’s event showed a unique virtual experience to those attending it.

June 28, 2021 – Islamabad: The 50th Board meeting of BISP was held under the Ehsaas framework; many important decisions were made. Board approved inclusion of all transgenders in Ehsaas Kafaalat programme. The Board also approved establishment of 154 district level Ehsaas Centers modelled on the One window Ehsaas Center in Sitara Market in Islamabad. This will enable all services to be accessed under one roof, greatly facilitating beneficiaries. Board also ratified enhancement of Ehsaas’ education stipends to secondary and higher secondary levels. The new conditional cash transfer programme is aimed at helping underprivileged families to educate their primary school going children till higher secondary level. The Board also gave approval for the signing of Memorandum of Understanding with Utility Stores Corporation for Ehsaas Targeted Subsidy programme. The Board granted approval for the budget 2021/22 as well, on the recommendation of the Finance committee.

June 26, 2021 – Lahore: Dr. Sania Nishtar addressed a news briefing at Commissioner’s office in Lahore. Talking to media, she said that the Ehsaas survey is currently 95% complete in the country and will be ready by July 31, 2021. “To ensure the timely completion, Ehsaas has expedited the survey activities in four out of five Tehsils of Lahore. Soon after survey completion, 30 Ehsaas registration desks will open across all five Tehsils of Lahore including the fifth Tehsil, Lahore Cantonment”, said Dr. Sania. Ehsaas registration desks, she informed, will facilitate self-registration of missed out households in the survey. Further, Dr. Sania thanked district administration, government teachers and local media for their cooperation in execution of the survey under Ehsaas. She also urged them to create awareness among masses, asserting that it is a free-of-cost survey and voluntary registration. Ehsaas survey teams are not authorized to charge any fee for surveying households. Secretary Ismat Tahira was also present. Full footage can be watched here.

June 26, 2021 – Lahore: Immediately followed by the news briefing, Dr. Sania made a visit to a local household on Dev Samaj Road, Sant Nagar area of Lahore to witness the digital process for survey registration. She met members of the household that was being surveyed under Ehsaas. She also guided them about the purpose of the national socio-economic registry survey. Further, Dr. Sania asked people to help the survey teams by sharing correct and true information when they arrive at their doorstep. “This is critical to ensure survey quality”, she emphasized.

June 25, 2021 – Islamabad: At the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, Dr. Sania Nishtar chaired a meeting to review the progress of Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) under Ehsaas. PBM is one of the four main executing agencies of Ehsaas with a responsibility for demand side social protection. The meeting took stock of several Ehsaas programmes being run by PBM including Bait-ul-Mal Madad, Dar-ul-Ehsaas, Model Panagahs and Ehsaas Koi Bhooka Na Soye. Muhammad Ali Shahzada, Secretary of the Division, Malik Zaheer Abbas Khokhar, Managing Director PBM and Naseem-ur-Rehman, PM’s Focal Person on Panagahs also joined the meeting.

June 25, 2021 – Chakwal: Dr. Sania Nishtar joined children and their mothers at Government Boys High School, Akwal in Talagang to 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. Dr. Sania 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 campaign to enrol deserving children for Ehsaas educational stipends. The campaign is being rolled out at Tehsil levels in close coordination with provinces, district administrations and key development stakeholders. “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”, announced Dr. Sania while talking to local press and media.

June 25, 2021 – Chakwal: 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 message on their phones to collect either 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. Dr. Sania also witnessed the quarterly payment of Ehsaas education stipends being made to mothers of children.

June 24, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar convened a meeting to review national scale cash transfer operations under Ehsaas Emergency Cash-II. The disbursements began on June 16, 2021 across the country. Beneficiaries are being identified and declared eligible through the new Ehsaas survey. The review meeting took stock of second phase of Ehsaas Emergency Cash operations in light of social media insights from the field. The meeting was joined by regional teams of Ehsaas and Heads of partnering banks- HBL and Bank Alfalah. Secretary Ismat Tahira was also present.

June 24, 2021 – Islamabad: A meeting was held at the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division to assess the plan for upscaling Ehsaas Tahafuz pilot operations. Dr. Sania Nishtar chaired the meeting. Muhammad Ali Shahzada, Secretary of the Division together with Ehsaas Tahafuz team briefed Dr. Sania on the progress and expansion of Ehsaas Tahafuz pilot. Currently, Ehsaas Tahafuz is being piloted in one hospital of Rawalpindi. Ehsaas Tahafuz has been developed on digital lines using information technology to provide immediate health care to deserving patients admitted in the hospital. Preparations are underway to expand the programme to other parts of the country.

June 23, 2021 – Geneva: Dr. Sania Nishtar keynoted the high-level parliamentary meeting hosted by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). She presented Pakistan’s perspective on nutrition centred social protection operations. The meeting themed, “Transforming food systems for health, equity, and sustainability”. Keynoting the meeting, Dr. Sania emphasized that transforming food systems should be central to our efforts for achieving Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. She further added that Nutrition is embedded in the Ehsaas strategy post- COVID. The pandemic has shown that it is possible to place nutrition at the heart of poverty alleviation objectives. Other eminent speakers were- Gerda Verburg, UN Assistant Secretary-General and SUN Movement Coordinator; Agnes Kalibata, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy to the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit; and QU Dongyu, Director General, FAO. The IPU is the global organization of national Parliaments, with 179 Member Parliaments out of the 193 countries in the world.

June 23, 2021- Rome: World Food Programme (WFP) invited Dr. Sania Nishtar to keynote the special session of Executive Board. The session talked about WFP’s support to national social protection, as a way of reaching Zero Hunger. Embassy of Pakistan in Italy co-hosted this session. A number of partners were invited to speak about their perspectives on WFP’s work including Germany’s BMZ, Sweden’s Sida, and the World Bank. From Pakistan, Dr. Sania Nishtar highlighted WFP’s contribution to national social protection programmes. Outlining Ehsaas’ social protection role in post-COVID context, Dr. Sania shared that Ehsaas Nashonuma is a conditional cash transfer programme aimed at tackling stunting among children under two years of age, along with pregnant and lactating mothers.

June 23, 2021 – Islamabad: On International Widows Day 2021, Dr. Sania Nishtar took to the twitter to announce about the special appeal system being built under the Ehsaas umbrella for widows. She said that Ehsaas commits to making special arrangements this year to open a window of appeals for widows in Ehsaas Kafaalat. The system will ensure the inclusion of deserving widows under the Ehsaas Kafaalat programme. Details of the appeal system would be shared soon. Under Ehsaas Kafaalat, women from poorest households get a monthly stipend of Rs. 2000 along with savings bank account.

June 23, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar made a surprise visit to the One Window Ehsaas Center in Islamabad. She took round of all desks, offices and outlets established at the center and interacted with staff and beneficiaries. Dr. Sania also sat with families at the center, listened to their concerns and assured them of full support from Ehsaas. This first One Window Ehsaas Centre was opened by the Prime Minister in Sitara Market of the federal capital on June 9, 2021. It aims to deliver all Ehsaas services through a single window. In this center, all Ehsaas services can be accessed at one place.

June 23, 2021 – Islamabad: Together with Ehsaas team, Dr. Sania Nishtar convened the fourth e-Kacheri of Ehsaas. She responded to queries of Ehsaas beneficiaries who phoned her from various remote areas of country. Callers asked about the ongoing payments under the second round of Ehsaas Emergency Cash. Dr. Sania guided listeners that beneficiaries for Ehsaas Emergency Cash are being identified the ongoing Ehsaas survey which is 94% complete. She also guided listeners about the process of enrolment under ‘Ehsaas Kafaalat for Special Persons’. The e-Kacheri was broadcast through Radio Pakistan’s national hook up programme, Raabta and Facebook, @EhsaasOffcialPK. Full programme can be watched here.

June 22, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar made a visit to Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) Islamabad to hold a policy consultation on Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarships with brilliant and deserving students. On the grounds of the university, Dr. Sania sat with Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship awardees of 2020-21. “I am delighted that for the FY 2020/21, total 90,000 scholarships worth Rs. 8.4 Billion are being awarded to deserving yet talented students”, said Dr. Sania. Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Dr. Muhammad Ali and other faculty members were also present. More than 50 boys and girls participated in the dialogue. Lauding the scale of the Ehsaas scholarships, the students shared that they were able to pursue their higher education only because of the support they received through Ehsaas undergraduate scholarship programme. Students who came to the table with Dr. Sania were from diverse regional and social backgrounds including Bahawalpur, Hyderabad, Khairpur, Zhob, Turbat, Gilgit, Ghizer, Chitral and AJK. They were studying in different undergraduate disciplines- Bioinformatics, Economics, Social Sciences, Archaeology, Botany and Pakistan Studies etc.

June 22, 2021 – Islamabad: Under the Ehsaas umbrella, the meeting of the Risk Management and Assurance Committee of the BISP board was held in Islamabad. Dr. Sania Nishtar chaired the meeting. This was the sixth meeting of the Committee. The meeting discussed risk mapping and risk mitigation strategies under the Ehsaas Risk Registry. The Committee approved the risk register and recommended future course of action against the identified risks to make the programme delivery transparent, accountable and responsive. Members of the Committee joined both physically and virtually along with Monitoring and Evaluation team. BISP is one of the 34 executing agencies of Ehsaas.

June 22, 2021 – Islamabad: Federal Cabinet ratified the decision of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) to increase Ehsaas Kafaalat stipend and grant equivalent of an extra month of payment to all beneficiaries every year. The six month stipend will increase from Rs 12,000 to 13,000 from January 2022. Earlier on January 21, 2021, the ECC had approved the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation’s proposal on Indexation Policy for Cash Transfer that would allow the beneficiaries to receive an additional cash of Rs. 166 per month due to indexation. The mechanism shall consist of a Committee which will be chaired by Secretary Finance Division. The other members of the Committee would be Additional Finance Secretary, Secretary Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, Economic Advisor Finance Division, and one co-opted member for independent technical advice.

June 21, 2021- Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar visited the ‘Ehsaas Rehribaan’ site in G-10 Markaz of Islamabad to interact with street vendors who have recently been provided with improved carts to streamline local vending activities. Ehsaas Rehribaan aims to create an enabling environment for street vendors in Islamabad. During the visit, Dr. Sania walked around the vending carts and interacted with street vendors. She obtained their viewpoints on the pilot initiative and explored possibilities to improve the street vending ecosystem. Under the umbrella of Ehsaas, the Rehribaan pilot is an outcome of collaboration between Poverty Alleviation & Social Safety Division (PASSD), Capital Development Authority (CDA), Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), ICT Administration and Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE).”

June 17, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar chaired the meeting of the Ehsaas steering committee for the Ehsaas education conditional cash transfer programme. The steering committee was briefed on the upscaling of primary education conditional cash transfer (CCT) programme, Waseela-e-Taleem Digital to the secondary level. The programme is all set to be rolled out across all districts of the country in the first quarter of the next financial year. In the meeting, all four provinces, GB and AJK came to the table to endorse the scale-up of Ehsaas stipends for secondary education. It was fully ratified that secondary education CCT, when launched under the umbrella of Ehsaas will reduce disparities in secondary schooling opportunities by raising school attendance, enrolment, and the school progression among out of school children particularly girls.

June 17, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar held the third Ehsaas e-Kacheri with Ehsaas beneficiaries. The e-Kacheri was broadcast through Radio Pakistan’s national hook up programme, Raabta and Facebook, @EhsaasOffcialPK. She responded to questions of beneficiaries who phoned her from remote areas of country. Callers asked about the second round of Ehsaas Emergency Cash. Dr. Sania apprised listeners that Ehsaas Emergency Cash disbursements have begun on June 16, 2021. Further, she shared that Rs.12,000 emergency cash would be provided to each of the 4 million additional households. These households will be identified through the ongoing Ehsaas survey which is 92% complete. She also guided listeners that women of eligible households would be able to collect payment upon receiving the message. Full footage can be watched here.

June 17, 2021 – Islamabad: In commemoration of the 100 years of the Communist Party of China, the Pakistan-China Institute organized a webinar titled, “People Centred: Celebrating 100 Years of CPC”. Dr. Sania Nishtar in her keynote speech, highlighted the remarkable success of the CPC in eradicating poverty. She said that Pakistan is keen to learn from the Chinese model. Dr. Sania also congratulated the Communist Party of China on its centenary. The virtual conference aimed at learning from the Chinese experience under the CPC leadership and highlighted new dimensions to further strengthen the bilateral relationship. Other eminent speakers were H.E. Nong Rong, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan; Senator Mushahid Hussain, Chairman Senate Defence Committee; and Liu Genfa, Deputy Director General, Department of International Exchange and Programme Development of China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong (CELAP), Shanghai.

June 16, 2021 – Islamabad: Ehsaas opens an e-portal, “Ehsaas Digital”, for accessing information and services related to all Ehsaas programmes and initiatives. Designed to empower and facilitate a common man, this e-portal is part of the One Window Ehsaas initiative. The digital e-portal offers Ehsaas specific people centred information. “People are not interested in technical information. They have questions about how they can benefit from Ehsaas. So, we have built the Ehsaas Digital e-portal with this in view based on the questions which we get on social media about various Ehsaas programmes”, said Dr. Sania Nishtar during the press conference. Ehsaas Digital can be accessed here.

June 15, 2021 – Islamabad: Under the Ehsaas umbrella, Dr. Sania Nishtar chaired the 49th meeting of BISP Board. The meeting approved over 18,000 additional Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarships for deserving students in the waiting list for FY2020-21. The board meeting was attended by Dr. Ismat Tahira, Secretary BISP; Muhammad Ali Shahzada Secretary Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, and senior officials and representatives of Finance Division, Economic Affairs Division and NADRA. Amongst private sector members, Zaffar A Khan, Syed Salim Raza, Qazi Azmat Isa, Khawar Mumtaz and Dr. Ahsfaque Hasan Khan attended the meeting. Board members came to the table both physically as well as virtually. BISP is one of the 34 executing agencies of Ehsaas.

June 15, 2021 – Islamabad: In preparation for the second phase of Ehsaas Emergency Cash, Dr. Sania Nishtar held a review meeting with the Ehsaas team. She reviewed arrangements being made countrywide for the disbursement of the upcoming tranche of Ehsaas Emergency Cash. The tranche is releasing this week. “Integrity and transparency is our top priority in these operations”, Dr. Nishtar reiterated. Under the programme, Rs. 12,000 financial assistance would be disbursed to each of the 4 million additional households. The additional households will be identified through the ongoing Ehsaas survey.

June 14, 2021 – Islamabad: Prime Minister chaired a briefing on the Ehsaas targeted commodity subsidies program to be introduced by the government for Ehsaas beneficiaries. SAPM Dr. Sania Nishtar briefed the PM on the proposed system of providing targeted subsidies through Karyana stores in collaboration with National Bank of Pakistan. Dr. Sania informed the meeting that introduction of targeted subsidies system was aimed at providing financial assistance to Ehsaas beneficiary households for purchasing essential commodities. PM appreciated efforts to set up a system for targeted subsidies. The meeting was also attended by Finance Minister Shaukat Tareen, SAPM Dr. Waqar Masood, Dr. Shahbaz Gill, President National Bank Arif Usmani and officers concerned.

June 14, 2021: SAPM Dr. Sania Nishtar chaired a consultative session in Ehsaas Implementation Tracking Index. The objective of the consultative session was to discuss methodology and data sources. Dr. Sabina Alkire from Oxford Policy and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) presented the methodology for EITI. This was followed by open discussion by participants. “While the efforts of beefing up social protection and addressing the COVID-19 related issues are being made, it is crucial to monitor the progress of Ehsaas related interventions, measure the impacts, enhance accountability and generate feedbacks for the improvement and finetuning of the program and ensure its maximum effectiveness”, said Dr. Sania Nishtar. UNDP has been partnering with Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division in developing a Ehsaas Implementation Tracking Index (EITI). OPHI is providing the technical support in this regard.

June 13, 2021 – Islamabad: Reaching out the wider national audience, Dr. Sania Nishtar convened the second e-Kacheri of Ehsaas. She was also accompanied by the Ehsaas team. Connecting with masses, Dr. Sania Nishtar replied to questions of live callers who phoned her from remote areas of country. She provided listeners with instructional and beneficiary centred information about Ehsaas programs and initiatives. The Ehsaas e-Kacheri was broadcast on Radio Pakistan’s national hook up programme Raabta as well as on Facebook, @EhsaasOffcialPK. During the e-Kacheri, Dr. Sania also listened to the issues and concerns of Ehsaas beneficiaries, guided them empathetically and assured that their issues will be resolved at the earliest. Callers also asked about the reopening of Ehsaas registration desks. Dr. Sania informed that Ehsaas registration desks are temporarily closed nationwide owing to the current wave of COVID-19 pandemic. Those who have received response from 8171 to go to registration desks, will be able to register themselves in Ehsaas when desks reopen after June 30, 2021. Full footage can be watched here.

June 10, 2021 – Islamabad: Pakistan Economic Survey 2020-21 was unveiled in a joint press conference by Cabinet Ministers. At the press conference, Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin was joined by SAPM on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Dr. Sania Nishtar, Minister for Industries Khusro Bakhtyar, Adviser to PM on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, SAPM on Finance and Revenue Dr. Waqar Masood and others. The Pakistan Economic Survey is a flagship report of the government which highlights the trend of macro-economic indicators, development policies, strategies as well as sectoral achievements of the economy. The overview of Pakistan Economic Survey 2020-21 contains three sub-sections i.e., Global Economic Review, Pakistan Economic Review and Executive Summary.

June 10, 2021 – Islamabad: The project steering committee of Ehsaas undergraduate scholarship came to the table for the eighth time to review the process of scholarship disbursements for the FY2020/21. Dr. Sania Nishtar chaired the meeting. For the FY 2020/21, total 69,130 scholarships worth Rs. 6.53 Billion are being awarded including 51% scholarships for girls and 4% for minorities. The need cum merit based Ehsaas scholarship covers 100% tuition fee and a living stipend. The meeting also reviewed the pattern being followed for scholarship distribution and disbursements to 119 public sector universities. The programme is on the track in its first two years of execution. In the current year 2020-21, as many as 120,000 undergraduate students applied for Ehsaas scholarship through online portal. Students from low-income backgrounds studying in undergraduate programmes across 119 public sector universities were eligible to apply.

June 9, 2021 – Islamabad: Prime Minister opened the first One Window Ehsaas Center in Sitara Market Islamabad. Dr. Sania Nishtar briefed the PM on services being offered through a single window, a one-stop shop. Ehsaas One Window Centers will be made in every district of the country. Under the Ehsaas umbrella, there are many programs for 14 different target groups. But often, a poor family is not aware of the benefits they are entitled to and, if they are aware, they have to go to multiple offices to seek help. In this center, all Ehsaas services can be accessed in one place. Part of Ehsaas strategy (policy action #4), One Window Ehsaas initiative has six pillars: A One Stop Shop, the Ehsaas Center; a public facing digital information and services platform; mobile app; back office consolidated digital interface; Cognitive API architecture, or the integrated national socioeconomic database; and finally, the Ehsaas One-Window Beneficiary Selection and Targeting Policy.

June 6, 2021- Islamabad: The Cognitive API architecture for Ehsaas’ National Socio-Economic Registry 2021 is one of the six main pillars of ‘One Window Ehsaas’. With the survey, which is building the registry currently 90.5% complete nationwide, Ehsaas is firming up its plans to open data sharing and data access services for all executing agencies under Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division (PASSD). Data sharing will be done through the Cognitive API Architecture approach. The deployment of Ehsaas API architecture for data sharing will allow executing agencies to access data from the unified registry in real-time to validate beneficiary information. This will empower them to ascertain eligibility of potential beneficiaries. A final presentation was made to Dr. Sania Nishtar who closely oversaw this process. She praised the technical team working on Ehsaas Cognitive API Architecture approach and congratulated them.

June 5, 2021- Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar chaired the 48th meeting of the board BISP. The meeting approved criteria to ascertain eligibility of beneficiaries for second round of Ehsaas Emergency Cash. The board also granted approval for deployment of advanced technology tools to enhance the agility of Data4Pakistan initiative. The board meeting was attended by Dr. Ismat Tahira, Secretary BISP; Muhammad Ali Shahzada, Secretary Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division; and senior officials from Ministry of Finance, Economic Affairs Division (EAD) and National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). Among private sector members, Zaffar A. Khan, Qazi Azmat Isa and Khawar Mumtaz attended the meeting. Board members joined the meeting both physically as well as virtually.

June 3, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar and President National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) held two meetings this week on potential targeted Karyana subsidies initiative. Senior officials and representatives from Ehsaas and NBP also joined the meeting. The meeting discussed options to design the targeted subsidies programme for Ehsaas beneficiaries through small Karyana stores. Various options were presented to support the poorest households with government’s commodity subsidy. Issuance of debit cards to the deserving households was one of the options discussed. The objective of the upcoming programme is to help the beneficiary families of Ehsaas through provision of targeted subsidies on essential commodities.

June 2, 2021 – Islamabad: SAPM Dr. Sania Nishtar was invited to keynote the special session on, “Advancing tourism for development and poverty alleviation at the 2nd conference of the Parliamentary Assembly of Economic Cooperation Organization (PAECO) countries hosted by Pakistan. The session brought together PAECO delegates from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan. In a special session, the members of the national parliaments of the economic cooperation organization issued a joint statement to cooperate on poverty alleviation. Reiterating Pakistan’s resolve to flourishing tourism for poverty alleviation, Dr. Sania Nishtar declared that Pakistan will take the lead in this collaborative endeavor. She emphasized on the promotion of tourism across ECO region in all its legal forms. The distinguished delegates of ECO countries jointly reaffirmed to cooperate on various aspects of common aspirations in advancing tourism for development and poverty alleviation. The member countries urged and called upon Executive Council of ECO to formulate a joint working group/committee of members of parliament so that an institutional arrangement can be established for the joint sharing of resources of the PAECO member states, in the next one year, in the overall context of advancing tourism for development and poverty alleviation.

June 2, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar was invited by Julien Harneis, United Nations Resident United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Pakistan to speak on the UN Country Team Retreat 2021. The retreat focused on preparation of cooperation framework for 2023-27 with the country team of United Nations . As part of that, a series of discussions were held with country representatives from UNDP, UNICEF, ILO, UNIDO, Un Women, WFP and FAO. In her capacity as a Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Sania spoke on, ‘Pakistan’s national and provincial government capacity – What can the UN bring that others cannot?’.

June 1, 2021 – Islamabad: A second meeting of the Economic Advisory Committee (EAC) was held with four sub-groups on agriculture, CPEC, social protection and information technology. Regarding social protection, Dr. Sania Nishtar briefed EAC on the social safety and poverty alleviation programmes under Ehsaas. She made a detailed presentation to EAC on the current progress of Ehsaas and proposed plan of interventions in the next financial year. Dr. Sania leads the EAC’s subgroup on social protection. EAC commended Dr. Sania on evolving Ehsaas that is a comprehensive national program for social protection and poverty alleviation.

June 1, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar convened a meeting with Secretary Power Division, Ali Raza Bhutta to discuss targeted energy subsidies. The meeting explored various possibilities with regard to the potential energy subsidy programme for Ehsaas beneficiaries. Ideas were discussed to grant the government’s subsidy only to the targeted consumers by linking the mechanism with the database of Ehsaas survey 2021. Once the prospective programme is firmed up, the subsidy will be given to the targeted consumers who will be identified through Ehsaas survey.

May 31, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar together with senior officials of Ehsaas convened the first e-Kacheri of Ehsaas. The event aimed to connect with Ehsaas beneficiaries and provide them with instructional information about Ehsaas programs and initiatives. Dr. Sania replied to questions of callers who connected with her on phone by calling on 051-9246334. She listened to the issues of beneficiaries, guided them and assured that their issues will be resolved at the earliest. People shared their CNIC numbers and in return were instantly provided with their eligibility and payment status. The e-Kacheri was broadcast on Facebook at @EhsaasOffcialPK. Footage can be accessed here.

May 27, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar joined a high-level panel discussion at the World Health Assembly side event on, “Hepatitis Elimination”. The event was hosted by World Economic Forum, World Health Organization and the Hepatitis Fund. Dr. Sania highlighted the utmost importance of commitment, adequate resources and multi-stakeholder collaboration for hepatitis elimination. “We must now build the commitment to do it, if we are to achieve our mutual objective of ending viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030”, she reiterated. The panellists were– Hala Zayed, Minister of Health of Egypt; Dr. Philippe Duneton, Executive Director, Unitaid; Wangsheng Li, Executive Director, The Hepatitis Fund; and SAPM on Social Protection Dr. Sania Nishtar from Pakistan. The session was moderated by Dr. Genya Dana, Head of Health and Healthcare, World Economic Forum. Full footage here.

May 26, 2021 – Islamabad: With SAPM Dr. Sania Nishtar in chair, a meeting was held to take stock of the key findings of the qualitative study with Ehsaas Kafaalat beneficiaries. The study was commissioned by Ehsaas in collaboration with Asian Development Bank and the World Bank. The main focus of the research was to gain insights into beneficiary saving behavior. Findings shall inform the design of a financial and digital literacy training program under the recently rolled out Ehsaas Saving Wallets initiative. Drawing on results of the qualitative study, Ehsaas beneficiaries will be trained on financial and digital literacy beside their children for better impact. During the meeting, it was strongly recommended that training will be designed in local languages utilizing beneficiary centered approach to instill greater confidence and self-efficacy amongst the women beneficiaries of Ehsaas, enabling them to fully avail the benefits of Ehsaas Savings Wallets.

May 26, 2021 – Islamabad: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet approved the launch of second phase of the Ehsaas Emergency Cash programme (EECP) worth Rs. 48 Billion, under which Rs.12,000 would be provided to each of the 4 million additional households. These 4 million additional beneficiaries will be identified through the ongoing Ehsaas survey by using higher eligibility threshold while remaining below the poverty line. The purpose is to compensate affected households for unemployment caused by COVID-19 crises. The disbursement process will be initiated within this financial year. The cash assistance will be provided through existing partner banks of Ehsaas, including Bank Alfalah in KP, AJK, and GB, and Habib Bank Limited in Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh and Islamabad through payment sites, biometrically enabled ATMs and retail Points of Sale (POS) agents, as well as through dedicated bank branches for beneficiaries with thumb amputations or biometric failures.

May 25, 2021- Kunming: Dr. Sania Nishtar keynoted the first ‘High-level Women Forum’ held in in Kunming city of China to mark the 70th Anniversary of Pak-China diplomatic relations.

Moin ul Haque, Ambassador of Pakistan to China hosted the event. The theme of the forum was acknowledging women of Pakistan and China, particularly their role in poverty alleviation, post-Covid recovery and evidence-based intervention for socio-economic uplift of vulnerable populations. The event was attended by Ministers, Presidents of the two women associations, senior officials, female entrepreneurs and students from both countries. The Vice Governor of the Yunnan province also attended the forum as a special guest. The Embassy of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Beijing, in collaboration with All China Women Federation, All Pakistan Women Association and Yunnan Provincial Women’s Federation had co-organized the event. Dr. Sania’s keynote speech can be watched here.

May 24, 2021 – Islamabad, Pakistan: Prime Minister Imran Khan during his visit to Ehsaas Kafaalat payment site in Islamabad launched ‘Ehsaas Savings Wallets’ (Ehsaas Bachat Accounts) pilot initiative for 7 million Kafaalat beneficiaries. PM was given the demonstration of Ehsaas Savings Wallets (ESWs). He also interacted with the beneficiary women present on the site. Financial inclusion is a central goal of Ehsaas and key to unlocking the potential of millions of the most disadvantaged women in Pakistan. Addressing the ceremony, PM congratulated Ehsaas for introducing Ehsaas Savings Wallets for 7 million women. “In Pakistan, most of the digitally and financially excluded segments are destitute women. For the first time, the poorest women in Pakistan will have the option to save their stipends”, said PM. He also thanked UNSGSA Queen Máxima of the Netherlands for her remarks at the launch of the Ehsaas Financial Inclusion Strategy when she visited Pakistan in Nov 2019. SAPM Dr. Sania Nishtar gave a detailed snapshot of Ehsaas broadly and the savings wallets initiative to the PM. Congratulating the roll out of flagship financial inclusion programme by the government of Pakistan, UNSGSA Queen Máxima sent a special message for Ehsaas that was delivered by H.E. Mr. Wouter Plomp, Ambassador of Netherlands to Pakistan.

May 21, 2021 – Islamabad: Immediately after Eid holidays, Dr. Sania Nishtar convened a series of review meetings this past week with all four executing agencies of Ehsaas including BISP, PPAF, PBM, TVO and Ehsaas Delivery Unit (EDU). With the monitoring and evaluation dashboard of Ehsaas up and running, the review meetings tracked the progress and implementation of targets established under the performance agreements signed with the Prime Minister. Through new Delivery Unit tools strategic plans of each of the executing agencies were also thoroughly reviewed to accelerate implementation of Ehsaas in the last six weeks of the current fiscal year 2020-21.

May 21, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar chaired the fourth meeting of Ehsaas Vendor Support Group. The meeting discussed ways to improve the street vending ecosystem under  ‘Ehsaas Rehri Baan’ initiative. Ehsaas Vendor Support Group has been set up at the Division of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety to coordinate the ensuing interventions in street vending. The meeting brought together senior officials from Capital Development Authority (CDA) Islamabad, Capital Territory Administration (ICTA), Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) and Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF). Muhammad Ali Shahzada, Secretary of the Division was also present.

May 20, 2021 – Islamabad: With SAPM Dr. Sania Nishtar in chair, a meeting was held with Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) to take stock of the National Poverty Graduation Initiative being executed under the Ehsaas umbrella. The meeting tracked progress in implementation of Ehsaas Interest Free Loan (IFL) and Ehsaas Amdan programmes. Currently, Ehsaas IFL is being implemented in 110 districts. With the recently ploughed injection of Rs. 5 Billion by the federal government, the programme is being upscaled across 28 additional districts in lagging regions (including deepening in 5 existing districts). The upscaling is grounded on the human development index ranking of districts, poverty profiling and economic needs. The meeting also discussed the progress of Ehsaas Amdan. Through Ehsaas Amdan programme, assets are given to the deserving to enable them to graduate out of poverty. Ehsaas Amdan is being implemented in 375 union councils of 23 poorest districts across four provinces of Pakistan. Secretary PASSD and CEO, PPAF were also present in the meeting. Under Ehsaas, PPAF has the responsibility for poverty graduation.

May 20, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania conducted a stocktake meeting with the Managing Director Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM), Malik Zaheer Abbas and his team to review operations for Panagahs, Ehsaas Koye Bhooka Na Soye (food truck) Dar-ul-Ehsaas (orphanages), Ehsaas Kada (Oldage homes) and wheelchair programmes for disabled. MD PBM shared that, guided by Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, efforts are underway to launch a number of new Ehsaas programmes including those on women empowerment, child protection and street beggars. Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal is responsible for demand side social protection under Ehsaas.

May 20, 2021: Dr. Sania Nishtar was called on by Murad Raas, Provincial Minister for Education Punjab. Murad Raas briefed Dr. Sania about the forthcoming school meals programme. Currently, Punjab Government is envisioning a large scale meals programme for school going children across the province. The meeting discussed federal-provincial collaborations for the programme of Punjab. With regard to the meals programme, Dr. Sania assured full support and cooperation of Ehsaas to Punjab Government.

May 20, 2021 – Islamabad: A virtual meeting was held between Dr. Sania Nishtar and President National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) to explore collaborations. The meeting discussed potential partnership under the forthcoming targeted subsidies programme for Ehsaas beneficiaries. Various options were discussed in the meeting including provision of subsidies through NBP debit card. The primary purpose of Ehsaas targeted subsidies is to help the under-privileged families through targeted subsidization.

May 19, 2021 – Islamabad: At the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, Dr. Sania convened a review meeting with the management of Trust for Voluntary Organizations (TVO). The meeting tracked the progress to-date, and discussed ways to further accelerate implementation. The key areas of their work that came under discussion were the reconstitution of TVO Board and function of TVO to execute the Ehsaas Private Sector Engagement Policy with the private sector. Secretary Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division was also present. TVO is one of executing agencies of Ehsaas.

May 18, 2021 – Islamabad: With the Secretary of the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division and Ehsaas Delivery Unit (EDU) team, Dr. Sania Nishtar assessed the implementation and delivery of over 140 Ehsaas programmes and initiatives through the new Ehsaas monitoring and evaluation dashboard. The meeting took place at the Division. EDU is a dedicated unit to lead delivery of Ehsaas strategy. Its overall mandate is folded into four key functions including programme’s strategic roll out, monitoring and evaluation, data analytics, advisory support, and communications and stakeholder engagement, among others. The charge for end-to-end delivery of programmes, policies and initiatives ultimately rests with the respective ministries, divisions and agencies and, EDU has been mandated to coordinate and track the performance and progress.

May 18, 2021 – News York: Dr. Sania Nishtar was invited to speak at a Global Dialogue on, “Connecting the Dots on Social Protection” via video link. Co-hosted by UNDP and ILO, the dialogue brought together stakeholders to discuss how social protection frameworks can be more inclusive of key populations and people living with HIV. The event provided an opportunity for governments, civil society, people living with HIV, key populations, employers’ organizations, workers’ organizations, insurance providers, funders and other partners to share strategies and good practice in making social protection more inclusive for key populations and people living with HIV. At the global dialogue, Dr. Sania was joined by Damaris Muhika from Central Organization of Trade Unions Kenya, Gloria Terwes Posada, from Costa Rican Social Security Fund, Costa Rica and Yok Samedy, Deputy Secretary General of General Secretariat for the National Social Protection Council. Dr. Sania’s speech can be watched here.

May 17, 2021 – Islamabad: To review the Ehsaas 8171 service and the ongoing Ehsaas Kafaalat operations nationwide, Dr. Sania Nishtar convened a full day meeting with the BISP team working on these programmes. BISP is one of the 34 executing agencies of Ehsaas that has the mandate to run cash transfers. Secretary BISP shared details on the overall progress and the pace of target completion for Ehsaas survey that is underway, and forthcoming One Window Ehsaas initiative that is just on the anvil. Dr. Nishtar appreciated the central role of Ehsaas survey that will provide the basis for all policy interventions under Ehsaas.

May 16, 2021 – Islamabad: Prime Minister congratulated Alleviation Dr. Sania Nishtar and Ehsaas team over the World Bank’s listing of Ehsaas Emergency Cash (EEC) program amongst the top four social protection initiatives in the world. In a tweet today, he said: “This is a milestone and well deserved international recognition.” Under the Ehsaas Emergency Cash, a stipend of Rs. 12,000 was given to as many as 15 million families each the previous year which made it the largest and most extensive social protection program in the history of the country. The World Bank released a report on global social protection responses to Covid-19 on May 14, 2021. The report is called a “living paper”, and it is a partnership effort involving 18 co-authors and a large number of contributors. The paper presented a 650-page volume, accompanying database documenting how countries and territories were planning, implementing and completing social protection measures in the context of the pandemic. Report can be accessed here.

May 14, 2021- Islamabad: The World Bank has just released a report on “global social protection responses to Covid-19”. This report is called the “living paper” and it is a partnership effort involving 18 co-authors and a large number of contributors; the paper presents a 650-page volume and accompanying database documenting how countries and territories are planning, implementing or completing social protection measures in the context of the pandemic. The report states that there has been “an exponential growth in social protection measures between March 20, 2020 and May 14, 2021 and that a total of 3,333 social protection measures have been planned or implemented in 222 countries or territories”. Pakistan ranks 4th globally in terms of the number of people covered and 3rd globally in terms of percentage of population covered amongst those that covered over 100 million people; the World Bank has stated that only “select countries have attained impressive six-digit levels” in this regard. Pakistan’s Ehsaas Emergency Cash is one of them. The lead author of the paper is Ugo Gentilini, lead of Social Protection at the World Bank. The report is accompanied by an excel sheet as well to make available the larger volume of data. According to the report, Pakistan’s Ehsaas also ranked high amongst the programs that did well in terms of planned versus actual coverage rates. Report can be accessed here.

May 13, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar visited Edhi home on the first day of Eid. During the visit, she interacted with homeless girls and women, listened to their heart wrenching stories and encouraged them. She also appreciated the contributions of Edhi Foundation regarding provision of social safety to the women and girls in need. The Edhi Foundation provides, among many other services, shelter for the destitute, free hospitals and medical care, drug rehabilitation services, and national and international relief efforts.

May 11, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar reviewed ‘Ehsaas Koye Bhooka Na Soye’ (EKBNS) Iftar distribution operations in the suburbs of Islamabad. She reviewed the food distribution arrangements through the food truck introduced under the EKBNS initiative. She urged the people present on the spot, to collect Iftar meal, to take precautionary measures to stay safe from COVID-19. Dr. Nishtar also talked to the daily wage labourers, both men and women, and listened to their problems. She said special arrangements had been made for distribution of Sehr and Iftar meals to the deserving through the Ehsaas Langar scheme, Panagahs and Ehsaas food trucks during the month of Ramzan. Interacting with the staff of Ehsaas Food Truck, Dr. Sania lauded them for diligently rendering Sehri and Iftari distribution services throughout the month of Ramzan.

May 7-2021 – Islamabad: The Government of United Arab Emirates (UAE) has gifted 49 tonnes of dry ration for Pakistan’s Ehsaas programme. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Dr. Sania Nishtar formally received the gift in Islamabad from the senior officials of UAE Embassy in Islamabad. The ration will be used in Ehsaas Panagahs, Ehsaas Langars, and Dar ul Ehsaas orphanages. Speaking to media, Dr. Sania thanked the Government of UAE for this generous gift to support Ehsaas Langar (soup kitchen) initiatives. PM’s Focal Person on Panagahs, Naseem-ur-Rehman was also present on the occasion.

May 7, 2021: The third meeting of steering committee of Ehsaas Tahafuz took place at Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division (PASSD). Dr. Sania Nishtar chaired the meeting. The steering took important decisions with regard to scale up of the existing Tahafuz pilot, which is well underway and is giving very good results. Muhammad Ali Shahzada, Secretary of the Division was also present. Ehsaas Tahafuz is currently being piloted in one hospital of Rawalpindi.

May 6, 2021 – New York: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Munir Akram in his capacity as the President of United Nations’ Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UN-ECOSOC) convened the 7th biennial high-level Development Cooperation Forum (DCF). Dr. Sania Nishtar was invited to keynote the event. The DCF is the principal global platform for policy dialogue on development cooperation. The DCF aimed to advance international development cooperation that reduces risk, enables recovery and builds resilience in the COVID-19 period and beyond. The session brought together Liu Zhenmin, Under Secretary-General, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs; Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Professor of Epidemiology, University College London and Special Advisor to Director-General of WHO; and Dr. Sania Nishtar. Keynoting the DCF 2021, Dr. Sania said, “The shared experiences of the last year and a half have hurt, challenged and changed us all. As a global community we must now appreciate that COVID-19 is threatening to wipe out the development gains of the last century—it is reversing three decades of gains in poverty eradication. A whole new generation now risks living in the shadow of poverty unless we take urgent action now.”

May 6, 2021 – Islamabad: SAPM Dr. Sania Nishtar and SAPM Dr. Faisal Sultan held a final consultative meeting to jointly review and firm up the ‘Ehsaas Catastrophic Health Expenditure Policy’ which is on the anvil. The said policy is being formulated to dovetail Ehsaas Tahafuz programme with the Sehat Sahulat programme of the government. The policy will provide guidelines to identify patients facing catastrophic health expenditures, who will then be assessed by the digital system, and if eligible, will be provided funding. Once the Catastrophic Health Expenditure Policy gets materialized, Ehsaas Tahafuz pilot will be upscaled from one hospital in Rawalpindi to several public hospitals in the country. Currently, Ehsaas Tahafuz pilot is being executed in Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi.

May 6, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar chaired the third meeting of Ehsaas Vendor Support Group, to discuss the expansion of ‘Ehsaas Rehribaan’ pilot. The meeting brought together Amer Ali Ahmed Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA); Syeda Shafaq Hashmi, Administrator Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI); Zia Banday, Focal Person on Street Vendors’ Initiative; along with senior officials from Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA), Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) and Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF). Muhammad Ali Shahzada, Secretary PASSD was also present. To coordinate street vending interventions, Ehsaas Vendor Support Group has been set up at the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division (PASSD). The collaborative street vending initiative of Ehsaas aims to create an enabling environment for street vendors in Islamabad. After the successful execution of pilot project in G-11 Islamabad, the Ehsaas Rehribaan pilot will be scaled up through coverage of additional areas and regularization of more street vendors.

May 6, 2021 – Islamabad: SAPM Dr. Sania Nishtar called on the Minister for Finance and Revenue, Shaukat Tarin at the Finance Division Islamabad. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Revenue Dr. Waqar Masood and Secretary Finance Division also participated in the meeting. The meeting discussed the financial modalities of the upcoming Targeted Subsidy programme for Ehsaas beneficiaries through a chain of Utility Stores outlets across Pakistan and local grocery stores. The underlying rationale is to support the under-privileged and marginalized households through targeted subsidization policy with focus on poverty reduction and women empowerment.

May 5, 2021- Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar together with senior officials convened Ehsaas briefing with Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners of Balochistan. The virtual meeting was held on special invitation of Chief Secretary Balochistan. The aim of the meeting was to inform the district administrations in Balochistan about the ongoing Ehsaas programmes and initiatives and to seek collaborations for making enhancements in Ehsaas payment operations. Chief Secretary (CS) Balochistan and Secretary BISP also joined the briefing. Dr. Nishtar outlined details of multisectoral Ehsaas programmes specifically conditional and unconditional cash transfer programmes being executed in Balochistan. In particular, the ongoing Ehsaas Kafaalat operations in the province were discussed in detail. To facilitate easy payments in remote regions of Balochistan, enhancements in Kafaalat payment operations were discussed bilaterally. It was agreed that the number of Ehsaas campsites, BVS enabled bank branches and point of sales agents will be increased in far flung sub-Tehsils of Awaran, Sherani, Surab and Kech.

May 4, 2021 – Islamabad: Part of the forthcoming One Window Ehsaas Initiative, preparations are in full swing to open the first, ‘Physical One Window Ehsaas Center’ in the federal capital. To review arrangements, SAPM Dr. Sania Nishtar visited the site along with senior officials of Ehsaas team. The first One Window Ehsaas Center opening in Islamabad will be a one-stop-shop that will integrate all Ehsaas programmes under one roof. The centre will facilitate beneficiaries to get information on all Ehsaas benefits and services available to them in one space.

May 4, 2021- Manila: Dr. Sania Nishtar was invited to speak at Asian Development Bank (ADB) annual meeting. The high-level virtual meeting seminar focused discussions on a woman-focused recovery for a more inclusive post-COVID 19 future. Alongside Dr. Sania, the panel included Joseph Sveglich, Economist, Economics and Research Department, Asian Development Bank; Wendy Teleki Head We-Fi Secretariat, World Bank Group; Deniz Harut, Executive Director, Sustainable Finance, Standard Chartered Bank; and Joni Simpson Senior Specialist Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination, International Labor Organisation (ILO). The session was moderated by Sharanjit Leyl, BBC. Participants discussed how to position gender equality more saliently post- COVID -19. Dr. Sania stressed on the need for gender related targets in programs, she highlighted the example of Ehsaas where there are specific time bound outcome based targets for gender mainstreaming evidenced in the Ehsaas 50% Plus Benefits (for women policy).

May 3, 2021- Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar held a team meeting to review the Ehsaas Tahafuz Donation Management System which is on the anvil. The meeting reviewed efficiency and integrity features of the online portal for funds generation under Ehsaas Tahafuz globally. Secretary Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division was also in attendance. Once operationalized, the donation system will also have funders’ empowerment features in terms of micro-transaction alerts, and personalized login credentials for detailed web-viewing.

Islamabad – May 3, 2021: Dr. Sania Nishtar visited the ‘Ehsaas Rehribaan’ site in G-11 Markaz of the federal capital to interact with street vendors who have been provided with improved carts and training to streamline local vending activities. The collaborative street vending initiative aims to create an enabling environment for street vendors in Islamabad. During the visit, Dr. Sania walked around the vending carts and met with local street vendors. She obtained their viewpoints on the multistakeholder initiative and explored possibilities to improve the street vending ecosystem. Under the umbrella of Ehsaas, model vending carts with eco-friendly structures have recently been handed over to a select number of existing vendors in G-11.

Speaking to media during the visit, Dr. Sania stated, “In line with the PM’s vision to create an enabling environment for street vendors, ‘Ehsaas Rehribaan’ has embarked upon furthering local vending to improve overall ecology. The model vending initiative is an outcome of collaboration between Poverty Alleviation & Social Safety Division (PASSD), Capital Development Authority (CDA), Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), ICT Administration and Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE).”

May 1, 2021 – Islamabad: In celebration of Labour Day 2021, Ehsaas hosted a webinar to e-launch, “Mazdoor Ka Ehsaas (MKE) Report”. The webinar was co-chaired by SAPM on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Dr. Sania Nishtar and SAPM on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (OPHRD) Syed Zulfikar Bukhari. The newly launched MKE report recommends that every labour worker in Pakistan should be provided with the social protection and minimum standard of living. Under the umbrella of Ehsaas, Dr. Sania had established the Ehsaas Labour Expert Group (LEG), in a tripartite arrangement. The mandate of LEG was to propose evidence-based practical recommendations to safeguard workers’ welfare. The LEG brought together distinguished experts representing the government at the federal and provincial levels, employers, trade unions, academia, private sector and development partners. Labour Day webinar offered a unique opportunity for all stakeholders to sit together and deliberate on avenues for action on policy recommendations of MKE report. The panel included Dr. Aliya Khan, Labour Economist and representatives from Ministry of OPHRD, ILO, Employers Federation Pakistan, Pakistan Workers’ Federation, World Bank and Asian Development Bank. Report can be accessed here.

April 30, 2021: Prime Minister Imran Khan during his visit to Gilgit Baltistan inaugurated the three major Ehsaas programmes in Gilgit Baltistan (GB). PM announced the provincewide roll out of Ehsaas Nashonuma, Ehsaas secondary education stipends and Ehsaas One Woman One Account initiatives across GB. So far, 8 Ehsaas Nashonuma centers have been opened in 3 districts of GB including Diamer, Astore and Kharmang. In collaboration with the provincial government of GB, a detailed roadmap has been developed to open Ehsaas Nashonuma Centers in every district of GB. Prime Minister’s “One Woman One Bank Account Initiative”, Ehsaas Bachat Account (saving account) for Ehsaas Kafalaat beneficiaries was also formally launched in Hunza Nagar district and would be scaled up later nationwide. While in Gilgit, PM also announced the first of its kind Ehsaas’ secondary education conditional cash transfer (CCT) programme for secondary school going children of deserving households. Ehsaas has already approved and budgeted for the expansion of the conditional cash transfer from the primary level to the secondary education level. The new secondary education CCT has been structured along the lines of Ehsaas Stipend policy that allocates higher stipend amount for girls as compared to boys. Dr. Sania Nishtar briefed the PM on the ongoing Ehsaas programmes and initiatives across GB.

Apr 29, 2021 – Islamabad: At the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division (PASSD), Dr. Sania Nishtar presided a meeting of Ehsaas Vendor Support Group, to review the progress of ‘Ehsaas Rehri Baan’ initiative. The multistakeholder initiative is centred on improving the ecosystem for street vending. Part of the initiative, Ehsaas Vendor Support Group has been established at PASSD for coordination of the ensuing interventions in street vending. The meeting was attended by senior officials and representatives from Capital Development Authority (CDA) Islamabad, Capital Territory Administration (ICTA), Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) and Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF). Muhammad Ali Shahzada, Secretary Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division was also in attendance.

April 28, 2021 – Rawalpindi: Dr. Sania Nishtar along with her team made a visit to Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi to asses pilot operations of Ehsaas Tahafuz. She held a meeting with team of medical experts, hospital administrators and programme verifiers. The meeting reviewed overall programme progress and lessons learned from the pilot execution. Ehsaas Tahafuz is premised on protecting deserving patients from catastrophic health expenditures. Enhancements are being planned to expand the scale and scope of the programme later this year. Secretary Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division and Vice Chancellor Rawalpindi Medical University were also present in the meeting.

April 28, 2021 – Islamabad: A meeting of Ehsaas Tahafuz Expert Committee was convened at Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division. Dr. Sania Nishtar chaired the meeting. The Expert Committee reviewed the current Tahafuz packages being offered and approved a number of newly proposed medical packages to expand the scale and scope of pilot operations. Tahafuz is Pakistan’s first shock-oriented precision safety net that covers heavy medical expenditures for the deserving. The programme is currently in pilot phase at Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi. Secretary Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division was also present.

April 28, 2021 – Islamabad: On the Prime Minister’s special instructions, ‘Ehsaas: Koye Bhooka Na Soye Fund’ has now been established to solicit public donations for expansion of ‘Ehsaas Koye Bhooka Na Soye’ programme nationwide. Public can deposit donations in cash or through crossed cheque in favour of, ‘Ehsaas: Koye Bhooka na Soye’ through branches of any of the commercial banks operating across the country. Contributions can also be made at field offices of State Bank of Pakistan Banking Services Cooperation in 15 cities across the country. Overseas Pakistanis can also send their donations to any commercial bank in Pakistan using the account details given on the banks’ websites. Overseas Pakistanis maintaining Roshan Digital Accounts (RDA) in Pakistan can also contribute to the fund through their RDAs. Talking to media, Dr. Sania Nishtar said, “We are setting up a robust fund governance mechanism at the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division in order to ensure that all decisions related to fund utilisation and deployment are strictly rule based and transparent.”

April 26, 2021 – Islamabad: A meeting of SAPM Dr. Sania Nishtar was held with the UNICEF’s Social Policy team to discuss possibilities for more deeper engagement under Ehsaas. The meeting broadly explored options for expanding collaborations on social protection in the country, at a policy and operational level. From the UNICEF’s side, Luis Gorjon, Chief Social Policy along with senior representatives from Economic Policy Research Institute (EPRI), a research institute based in Cape Town, South Africa joined the meeting.

April 26, 2021 – Islamabad: The 47^th board meeting of BISP was held at the BISP headquarters, Islamabad with SAPM Dr. Sania Nishtar in chair. The board meeting was attended by Yusuf Khan Secretary BISP, Muhammad Ali Shahzada Secretary Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, AFS Finance Division, and representatives of EAD and NADRA. Amongst private sector members, Zaffar A Khan, Syed Salim Raza, Qazi Azmat Isa, Khawar Mumtaz and Dr. Ahsfaque Hasan Khan attended the meeting. Members participated in the meeting both physically as well as virtually.

Apr 23, 2021 – Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Murree to distribute Kafaalat stipends among newly enrolled households. All new beneficiaries were paid a sum of Rs. 12,000 covering the period Jan – Jun 2021. Ruqayya, Zaitoon Fatima, Shaheen Akhtar, Shafqat Bibi, Mehreen Bibi , Amina Bibi and other new beneficiaries received Kafaalat stipends and interacted with PM. They expressed gratitude that Ehsaas Kafaalat stipends of the government would assist them with their basic needs. SAPM Dr. Sania Nishtar was also present on the occasion. With the Ehsaas survey now 83% complete, payments to those who have been identified through the new survey have commenced throughout the country. Following the first six monthly payment of Rs. 12,000 the new women beneficiaries will get quarterly payments of Rs. 6000 on continuing basis.

Apr 22, 2021 – Islamabad: SAPM on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Dr. Sania Nishtar, was invited to join the meeting of Economic Advisory Committee (EAC) as an official member. The meeting was presided by Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin. This was the first session of EAC after its reconstitution. Federal Minister for Industries and Production Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Division Omar Ayub Khan, Adviser to the PM on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, Advisor to the PM on Institutional Reforms and Austerity Dr. Ishrat Hussain, SAPM on Overseas Pakistanis & Human Resource Development Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari, SAPM on Revenue Dr. Waqar Masood, Chairman FBR, Chairman BOI and Governor State Bank also participated in the meeting. The EAC meeting was also attended by the leading representatives from the private sector. It was agreed that EAC will follow a consultative process and suggest policy initiatives to optimise and further strengthen the financial and economic policies aimed at enhancing public welfare.

April 20, 2021 – Islamabad: A meeting was held between SAPM Dr. Sania Nishtar, Finance Minister Shaukat Tareen, SAPM Dr. Waqar Masood Khan and Secretary Finance to discuss the targeted commodity subsidy programme, coming under the umbrella of Ehsaas. Dr. Sania briefed the Finance Minister on programmatic, technical and financial contours of the forthcoming programme. The aim of the targeted subsidy programme is to give financial assistance to the deserving families enrolled in Ehsaas Kafaalat so that they could buy essential food items.

April 19, 2021 – Islamabad: SAPM Dr. Sania Nishtar and SAPM Dr. Faisal Sultan met in Islamabad to discuss the the ‘Ehsaas Catastrophic Health Expenditure Policy’. The policy is currently in the pipeline to dovetail Ehsaas Tahafuz programme with the Sehat Sahulat programme of the government. Once the policy is finalized, Ehsaas Tahafuz pilot will be upscaled with several public hospitals in the country to identify patients facing catastrophic health expenditures, who will then be assessed by the digital system, and if eligible, will be provided funding. Currently, Ehsaas Tahafuz is being piloted in Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi.

Apr 17, 2021 – Islamabad: Chief Minister Gilgit Baltistan (GB), Muhammad Khalid Khursheed and Dr. Sania Nishtar with her team met in Islamabad. During the meeting, there was a strong agreement on the accelerated engagement around Ehsaas in GB. The CM was briefed about quality features of the Ehsaas survey, and it was explained to him how GB can benefit from the survey. The android based Ehsaas survey is currently 38% complete in GB and is progressing smoothly to accomplish by June 30, 2021. In addition, programmatic collaboration was discussed in detail to expand Ehsaas Nashonuma and primary education conditional cash transfer programme in every GB district.

April 14, 2021-Geneva: Dr. Sania Nishtar held a virtual meeting with Gerda Verburg, Coordinator and UN Assistant Secretary-General, Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement. The meeting discussed forthcoming renewal of the SUN movement and opportunities in nutrition. Dr. Sania is a member of SUN Lead Group. The sun movement lead group has the overall responsibility for the movement’s progress towards achieving its objectives. The SUN Movement Secretariat is based in Geneva and is responsible for liaising with SUN Countries and ensuring the catalytic spirit of the Movement is embedded in the efforts of all actors.

April 14, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar answered the frequently asked questions of Ehsaas Kafaalat beneficiaries in Radio Pakistan’s national broadcast, “Raabta”. The program was held to create awareness among masses about the newly opened Ehsaas 8171 service. Dr. Sania replied to questions of listeners who connected with her on telephone. During the live program, Dr. Sania guided listeners about how the marginalized households can check their eligibility status under Kafaalat by sending their Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) numbers on the SMS code 8171. Listen here.

https://youtu.be/J2u5e4HtQVo

April 16, 2021 – Islamabad: Prime Minister during his visit to Sukkur district of Sindh visited a payment site-camp to review the Ehsaas Kafaalat disbursal operations that have just begun this week. At the site, PM joined the Kafaalat beneficiary women to witness details of biometrically enabled payments. Dr. Sania Nishtar briefed the PM about Ehsaas Kafaalat operations in Sindh and Ehsaas 8171 service. PM also interacted with the women present at the campsite to gain firsthand insights on the multitude of Ehsaas programmes and initiatives in Sindh. Safeguarding safe and easy digital payments amid the third wave of COVID-19, Ehsaas has set up 516 specialized payment camps throughout Sindh to roll out recently opened Kafaalat payments for the period Jan 2021 – Jun 2021. Combined payment for 6 months is being made. Alongside, payments can also be withdrawn from biometrically enabled ATMs of Habib Bank across all districts of Sindh.

April 13, 2021 – Islamabad: Ehsaas has opened 8171 SMS campaign enabling the new deserving households to check their eligibility under Ehsaas Kafaalat. Dr. Sania Nishtar said that the deserving families desiring to find out their eligibility status in the Kafaalat programme should send their Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) numbers on the SMS code 8171, which is activated from today. The 8171 SMS service has been made free of charge for the public and the entire cost will be borne by Ehsaas. Ehsaas has begun the process of enrolling new beneficiaries which have been identified on the basis of the 2021 Ehsaas survey which is now 81% complete. Beneficiaries identified through the survey undergo “wealth profiling” through a data analytics mechanism to further clean the list of beneficiaries. When beneficiaries send their 13-digital CNIC number on 8171, they will either get a message that they are eligible and will be asked to collect money; or they will be informed that they are ineligible, or they will get a “wait” instruction.

April 12, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar was invited to keynote the official launch of the first edited book of the Centre for Afghanistan, Middle East & Africa (CAMEA) at the Institute of Strategic Studies (ISSI). The book was titled, ‘The Covid Challenge: Impact on Middle East & Africa’. On the occasion, Dr. Sania was also joined by Shafqat Mahmood, Federal Minister for Education. Other distinguished discussants included: Dr. Khalid Hussain Memon, Special Secretary Middle East, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pakistan; Mr. Ali Javed, Additional Secretary Africa, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pakistan and Ambassador Rizwan- ul-Haq Mahmood, Former Pakistani Diplomat to Muscat, Abu Dhabi & Jeddah

April 12, 2021 – Islamabad: At the virtual mission on Human Capital Review (HCR) held by the World Bank, Dr. Sania Nishtar was joined by Lire Ersado, Practice Leader; Syud Amer Ahmed, Senior Economist; Ali Nadeem Qureshi, Social Protection Specialist; Gul Najam Jamy, Senior Social Protection Specialist; Thelma Seoeun Choi, Economist; Mina Zamand, Research Analyst; and the World Bank Consultant, Sakib Sherani (Senior Advisor). The HCR aims to support Pakistan in accelerating human capital accumulation and addressing the existing vulnerabilities and those brought to light by the COVID-19 pandemic. The study analyses human capital challenges facing Pakistan and identify priority interventions and investments.

April 12, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar convened an online consultative meeting to discuss the final modalities of the ‘Ehsaas Koi Booka Na Soye (EKBNS) Bank Account and Fund” before information about it is released publicly.  The meeting was joined by senior officials from State Bank of Pakistan, National Bank of Pakistan and Ministry of Finance and Revenue. EKBNS is a new policy initiative of the federal government to eliminate hunger in the country. The recently rolled out programme provides cooked meals at designated delivery points in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Lahore and Faisalabad to labour class.