Sindh’s social welfare minister has said the Azadi Card welfare scheme will benefit only those senior citizens in the province who are not retired government employees or have not been getting a pension.
Addressing a news conference on Monday, Sajid Jokhio said the scheme of Azadi cards had been envisaged by the provincial government to provide all the due facilities to the elderly in the province.
Jokhio said the Sindh government had become the first provincial administration to have adopted the legislation to issue Azadi cards, adding that the system would be launched shortly to provide relief to senior citizens.
He said Azadi cards would be issued to extend relief to senior citizens at hospitals, and train and bus stations.
Special counters will be established at hospitals, and train and bus stations to give preferential treatment to the elderly, he added. He also said that a specific number would be issued to every elderly person to enable them to get registered for the issuance of an Azadi Card.
The Sindh government has reserved a fund of Rs500 million for the welfare of senior citizens, he added.
He further said Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had given special instructions to the provincial government to provide due relief to senior citizens in the province.
The minister informed the media that the Sindh government had been collaborating with a number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), saying that funds had been provided to these organisations to enable them to perform various charitable works in the province.
He said the beneficiary NGOs had been asked to share their progress reports with the provincial government every three months.
Replying to a question, he said the PPP’s previous federal government had initiated the Benazir Income Support Programme, and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s present government had only changed the name of the welfare scheme.
