ISLAMABAD – Finance Minister Miftah Ismail Saturday said shared the criteria for availing the ‘Sasta Petrol, Sasta Diesel’ relief package. People, whose household income was less than Rs40,000 per month, could text their CNIC (computerised national identity card) numbers on 786 or call that number to receive Rs2,000, he said.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Miftah said the government’s relief package, which was announced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif a day earlier, would help protect the poor people from the “storm of inflation”.
“We cannot provide complete relief as we do not have the resources but we will do all we can to dress the wounds of poor people,” he added.
He clarified that the relief package was not limited to motorcycle owners but included anyone whose monthly household income was below Rs40,000. People who were already BISP beneficiaries did not need to send their details on 786 since they would automatically receive the amount, he added.
Ismail said that under the relief package, 14 million households would receive the amount. “Rs2,000 will be given in June and it will cost the government Rs28 billion. Besides 3.3m BISP beneficiaries, this [package] covers 6.7m households with poverty scores less than 37.
Miftah further added that “7.3 million beneficiaries of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) are already getting Rs2000, and the government is planning to add 7 million more people to the database who would receive Rs2000 in terms of fuel subsidy.”
“This money will be given to the poorest families,” he said. “We have the data and phone numbers of BISP recipients, we will start giving them the money from June 1.”
Rs28 billion relief package for the poor will be part of next budget, says PM Shehbaz
