Immediately after Eid holidays, Dr. Sania Nishtar convened a series of review meetings this week with all four executing agencies of Ehsaas 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. 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.
To review the Ehsaas 8171 service and the ongoing Ehsaas Kafaalat operations nationwide, a full day meeting was held with the team working on these programmes. BISP 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. Sania appreciated the central role of Ehsaas survey that will provide the basis for all policy interventions under Ehsaas.
Mid of the week, Dr. Sania sat with 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 programme for disabled. MD PBM shared that, guided by PASSD, 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.
Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund has the responsibility for poverty graduation. Meeting with PPAF was held later this week with Dr. Sania in chair to take stock of the poverty graduation programmes being executed under the Ehsaas umbrella. The meeting discussed the overall progress of the Ehsaas Interest Free Loan (IFL) in 110 current districts and assessed plans to upscale the programme across 28 additional districts in lagging regions (including deepening in 5 existing districts). Also, the progress and targets for the asset transfers under Ehsaas Amdan were reviewed in detail.
Further, a detailed review meeting with the management of Trust for Voluntary Organizations (TVO) discussed the reconstitution of TVO Board and function of TVO to execute the Ehsaas Private Sector Engagement Policy and encourage private sector to partner with Ehsaas under several initiatives.
With the Secretary of the Division and Ehsaas Delivery Unit team, Dr. Sania also assessed implementation and delivery of over 140 Ehsaas programmes and initiatives through the monitoring and evaluation dashboard. 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.
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