Oct 30, 2021 – Peshawar: Dr. Sania Nishtar paid a surprise visit to Ehsaas Langar at Old Haji Camp bus terminal. During the visit, she spoke to labourers being served food and enquired about the quality of service. She also listened to concerns of labourers and assured them full cooperation. People appreciated the ethos of Ehsaas Langar, food quality, and the degree of respect with which they are served food. Ehsaas Langar in Peshawar serves cooked food twice daily to around 1,200 people. To-date, 34 Ehsaas Langars have been established all over the country.

Oct 29, 2021 – Islamabad: The steering committee of Ehsaas targeted commodity subsidies met to approve the programme design. Dr. Sania Nishtar chaired the meeting. This was the second meeting of the steering committee since its constitution by the Prime Minister in July 2021. “Coming under the Ehsaas umbrella, the national scale targeted subsidies programme will identify beneficiaries through the Ehsaas national socioeconomic survey registry 2021. All the necessary spadework, digital structuring and integrations are complete for the roll out of the programme”, said Dr. Sania. “The number of people to be supported and the exact details of the amount of subsidy will be announced by the PM next week”, she further added. The members of the committee thoroughly reviewed the design contours and roll out preparations for the upcoming programme.

Oct 27, 2021 – Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired a meeting to review preparations for the upcoming Ehsaas targeted commodity subsidies program. Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM briefed Prime Minister on the overall progress. Ehsaas eligible families will get subsidy on grocery store purchases through this program. To roll out the program, a mobile point-of-sale system has been built in collaboration with the National Bank of Pakistan. The program will save the poor from the effects of inflation. PM directed to ensure early its completion and create awareness among the people so that maximum people can benefit from the targeted subsidies. Finance Minister, Shaukat Tarin also joined the meeting.

Oct 23, 2021- Lahore: Early morning, Dr. Sania Nishtar made a surprise visit to Ehsaas Registration Desks in Lahore. She reviewed operations of registration desks at Government Boys School, Walton Road. At the center, Dr. Sania stood with the applicant women in the queue, took round of the facility and interacted with women and staff to enquire about the registration process and arrangements. She also instructed the concerned officials to facilitate the women in registration process so that they do not have to wait for long time. Speaking to media, Dr. Sania stated, “With the recent completion of Ehsaas national survey registry, 512 Ehsaas Registration Desks are operational at Tehsil level all over the country. The purpose is that households whose survey has not been conducted for any reason can self-register themselves in the Ehsaas programme.”

Oct 20, 2021 – Berlin: Dr. Sania Nishtar was invited to join the panel discussion at the Humanitarian Congress Berlin ‘Aspiring towards global justice – a humanitarian imperative?’ The panel discussion was held on, “The Universal Right to Social Protection” by 2030? How responses to COVID-19 reveal potential humanitarian pathways to support national social systems in managing climate risks”. Other eminent panelists included Valentina Barca, Team Leader Social Protection Approaches to COVID-19 SPACE; and Ralf Rademacher, Head of the Global Programme “Social Protection Innovation and Learning” GIZ. Panelists shared their experience, knowledge, and ideas of humanitarian action in an international and multi-disciplinary setting. The Humanitarian Congress brought together leading experts from medical and humanitarian organizations, governments, and the media, as well as young professionals interested in humanitarian work. For more than 20 years, the Humanitarian Congress Berlin has been debating, analyzing, evaluation and developing the theory and practice of humanitarian action.

Oct 20, 2021: Dr. Sania Nishtar spoke at the World Bank Group’s Human Capital Ministerial Conclave held during the 2021 IMF-World Bank Group Annual Meetings. The World Bank Group President, David Malpass opened the Conclave. Ministers of Finance and Planning from over 80 Human Capital project countries, key development partners, other high-level officials, and the World Bank’s senior leadership attended the event. The 2021 Conclave on “Arresting Human Capital Losses due to COVID-19: Reimagining Service Delivery in a Digital Age”, focused on how countries can make the most of the Digital age, making smart investment decisions around technology and innovations for services that better protect, build and utilize human capital. Taking the rostrum, Dr. Sania highlighted the experience of Pakistan in executing the Ehsaas Emergency Cash (EEC) programme using data and digital technology during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She also motivated other countries to invest more in technology and data to improve delivery of human capital services.

Oct 20, 2021 – Islamabad: Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM briefed Prime Minister Imran Khan on the Ehsaas targeted commodity subsidies programme. PM was given a detailed briefing on the preparations for the upcoming programme. The Ehsaas targeted subsidies programme is on the anvil to save the underprivileged from inflation. The meeting was told that a mobile point-of-sale system has been developed for the programme in collaboration with Ehsaas and the National Bank of Pakistan. Ehsaas eligible families will receive discounts on grocery store purchases on specific items through this programme. PM directed to finalize the targeted subsidy programme soon. The briefing was attended by Finance Minister, Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Finance Minister Punjab, Finance Minister KP, President National Bank, chief secretaries of Punjab and KP and other senior officials. Finance Minister also attended the meeting via video link.

Oct 19, 2021: Dr. Sania Nishtar keynoted the 2021 Global Rural Development Forum held in China under the theme of “Global Sustainable Development Cooperation: Poverty Reduction and Rural Development”. The forum was co-hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the National Rural Revitalization Administration and organized by the International Poverty Reduction Center in China. The forum fully demonstrated and shared China’s great achievements and experience in poverty alleviation. The event brought together Minister of Rural Development of Cambodia; Union Minister of Cooperative and Rural Development of Myanmar; Secretary-General of National Anti-poverty Commission of the Philippines; Vice Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of Laos; Undersecretary of Productive Inclusion and Rural Development, Ministry of Welfare of Mexico; and Minister of Social Integration and Social Security of Mauritius. Dr. Sania congratulated the Government of China, its people, and the Communist Party of China for achieving the MDG of poverty eradication, well ahead of time. “Poverty alleviation, particularly social protection is the priority of our government. We realize that in Pakistan’s agri-based economy, tackling agriculture is fundamental to poverty reduction since the sector employs 45% of labour force. Ehsaas has 19 social protection programmes for 14 vulnerable groups, and it is closely linked to agriculture and rural economy.”, said Dr. Sania.

Oct 17, 2021 – Islamabad: On the World Poverty Day, Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM launched ‘National Data Exchange Platform’ (NDEP) for the Ehsaas’ National Socioeconomic Registry 2021 which is one of the six main pillars of One Window Ehsaas. With the Ehsaas National Socioeconomic Registry 2021 survey that stands almost complete, NDEP will facilitate data sharing and data access services for all executing agencies stewarded by Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division. Speaking to press media about the launch of NDEP, Dr. Sania said, “Ehsaas NDEP will be a gamechanger in transforming social protection and poverty reduction programs in the country. Through Ehsaas NDEP, the executing agencies in ecosystem of Ehsaas will be able to see what benefits an individual or a household is getting by simply punching in the CNIC number of an individual.” She also congratulated the teams working on the national socioeconomic survey and technology.

Oct 17, 2021 – Islamabad: On the World Poverty Day, Dr. Sania Nishtar released a video on the social protection and poverty reduction initiatives of Ehsaas. The video illustrates how Ehsaas is transforming the lives of the poorest populations through its over 290 programmes, initiatives and policy actions: Ehsaas Kafaalat, Ehsaas Emergency Cash, Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarships, Ehsaas Interest Free Loans, Ehsaas Amdan, Ehsaas Education Stipends and Ehsaas Rehri Baan etc. “To-date, Ehsaas has touched the lives of almost half the country’s population. This year, Ehsaas cash is being delivered to 12 million families”, said Dr. Sania. According to the video message, preparations are also underway to upscale Ehsaas Tahafuz, Ehsaas Nashonuma and One Window Ehsaas operations across all districts of the country in the current fiscal year. Full video message can be watched here.

Oct 15, 2021 – Islamabad: On ‘International day of rural women’, Dr. Sania Nishtar released an official statement. Paying tribute to rural women of Pakistan, she stated, “Rural women play an important role in reducing rural poverty. More than three-quarters of the entire Ehsaas’ benefits go to most of rural women and girls under the ‘Ehsaas 50%+ benefits policy’. ‘Mazdoor Ka Ehsaas Report’ released on May 1, 2021 also strongly recognizes the work of rural women and home-based workers all over the country.” She further added, “National Poverty Graduation Initiative of Ehsaas aims to graduate poorest households particularly rural women out of poverty and set them on a course of economic and social prosperity. Out of 1.4 million Ehsaas interest free loans disbursed so far, 46% went to rural women across 110 districts. Enabling 1.4 million individuals to come out of shackles of poverty, 60% of small livelihood assets have been allocated for rural women under the 4-year Ehsaas Amdan programme. This programme is operational in in 388 rural union councils of 23 poorest districts across the four provinces. Ehsaas Amdan assets include livestock, agricultural inputs, body of auto rickshaws, agriculture tools, and inputs for small retail enterprises.”

Oct 14, 2021 – Islamabad: Dr. Sania Nishtar briefed Chief Secretary KP, Dr. Kazim Niaz herself about the One Window operations of Ehsaas at “One Window Ehsaas Center” in Sitara Market of Islamabad. The visit was part of collaborations underway between Ehsaas and the government of KP to establish One Window Ehsaas Centers across all districts of KP. Chief Secretary KP was briefed on the One Stop Shop operations of Ehsaas which integrate all benefits and services for 14 different target groups in one space. “To assist Ehsaas beneficiaries, One Window Ehsaas operations are being upscaled across all districts of KP”, said Dr. Sania. “The integration of all Ehsaas benefits and services under one roof is commendable. KP Government will extend full support to Ehsaas for establishing One Window Ehsaas Centers in all districts of the province”, assured Dr. Kazim Niaz. CS was also given a round of the different offices, outlets, and desks at the Ehsaas Center whereby he witnessed all one window operations and met with Ehsaas team and beneficiaries.