Ready to share cash transfer scheme with India: Pakistan PM
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said he is ready to share his government's cash transfer program with India to help the latter with the fallout of the coronavirus outbreak. Khan quoted findings of a survey saying that 84% of Indian households have witnessed a decline in income since the lockdown began. India's lockdown came into force on March 25 and has since been relaxed.
Tweeting a news report about the survey, Khan wrote, "I am ready to offer help and share our successful cash transfer program, lauded internationally for its reach and transparency, with India." He added, "Our government successfully transferred Rs. 120 billion in nine weeks to over 10 million families in a transparent manner to deal with the COVID-19 fallout on the poor."
Our govt successfully transferred Rs. 120 billion in 9 weeks to over 10 million families in a transparent manner to deal with the COVID19 fallout on the poor.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) June 11, 2020
Pakistan had launched an Ehsaas Emergency Cash (EEC) program to provide urgent cash payments to 12 million households. As part of the program, the hardest-hit families would receive $75 as financial assistance.
The survey titled "How Are Indian Households Coping Under the COVID-19 Lockdown? 8 Key Findings" also said that 34% of all households will not be able to survive for over a week without additional assistance. The survey was conducted by experts from the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Chicago, and the Mumbai-based Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy (CMIE).
In May, India had announced a Rs. 20 lakh crore package to revive the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic. The total package included the Pradhan Matri Garib Kalyan Package, worth Rs. 1.7 lakh crore, for the poor. This had been announced on March 26, a day after the lockdown. However, critics demanded a scheme for direct cash transfers in the accounts of migrant workers.
