PM Imran Khan announces stipend for families of disabled persons under new Ehsaas policy

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan announced on Thursday a new Ehsaas Kafaalat Policy under which families with differently-abled persons will be entitled to a stipend of Rs2,000 per month. 

The government has asked families to register the special person status of their family members with the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) to become eligible for the Kafaalat initiative.

On the occasion of International Day of Special Persons, the government expanded the Ehsaas Kafaalat Policy to benefit two million families with at least one disabled person.

“Two million families will benefit under the new ‘Ehsaas Kafaalat Policy for Special Persons’. They will be eligible for a monthly stipend of Rs2000," tweeted the prime minister. 

"This is a step toward a disability-inclusive and sustainable post COVID-19 world," the premier added.

Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Sania Nishtar said that the Ehsaas programme believes in an inclusive approach to ensure that special persons in our society are not left behind and they can assess equal opportunities.

Explaining the program's commitment to uplift differently-abled persons, each family with a special person will now get Rs2,000 per month through Kafaalat, she said.

Seven million families that are currently eligible under Ehsaas Kafaalat fall under the poverty ranking threshold of 29. These households will now be eligible to get Ehsaas Kafaalat cash.

The special persons will be validated through NADRA’s database and only the individual reported as a special person will be declared as eligible.

According to the United Nations, out of the seven billion world population, more than one billion people, or approximately 15% of the total population, have some form of disability with 80% living in developing countries.

The International Day of Disabled Persons aims at promoting the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development.