Pakistan tops in Asia for highest response on social protection amid COVID-19 pandemic

ISLAMABAD: The International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG) has acknowledged Pakistan as one of the top-ranked countries in Asia with the highest number of responses to social protection, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Monday.

The PM’s Office quoted Special Assistant on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Dr Sania Nishtar, who gave a briefing to Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The study reveals that Pakistan covers highest number of responses to social protection in Asia through Ehsaas Emergency Cash.

This new study was conducted by UNICEF, UN and IPC-IG to assess social protection response in Asia focusing on an extensive mapping and overview of how social protection measures were deployed by the countries in Asia and the Pacific region in the response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Sharing the scale and ambition of Ehsaas Emergency Cash, Dr. Nishtar said, “Within 10 days of COVID-19 lockdown, the government of Pakistan had launched the Ehsaas Emergency Cash programme, providing urgent cash payments

to over 15 million households. The $1.25 billion safety-net programme was rolled out at unprecedented speed, designed in the short-term to offer immediate relief in the form of $75 to the poorest and hardest-hit families.”

Read More: PM Khan urges masses to wear face masks to avoid spread of coronavirus

It may be noted that the novel coronavirus claimed four more lives on Monday in Pakistan, bringing the death toll from the disease to 6,517.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 29,565 samples were tested for Covid-19 during this period, out of which 644 were declared positive. The number of infections across the country has reached 315,260 with the addition of the new cases.

Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Sunday feared that the second wave of coronavirus could hit Pakistan in winter.

PM Khan in his tweet said, as compared to other countries, Pakistan remained safe from the worst impacts of the deadly virus by Almighty Allah.