Malik M Ashraf
SECOND Caliph of Islam Umar ibne al-Khattab who expanded Islamic rule through Mesopotamia, Syria and initiated conquest of Iran and Egypt is also ungrudgingly acknowledged as the pioneer of the concept of public administration and the proponent of the responsibilities of the state and government towards its citizens, particularly the people at the lowest rung of the society. His saying that if a dog dies hungry on the bank of Euphrates Umar will be responsible for it, not only underlined guiding principle for governance but also played an instrumental role in the evolution of the concept of a modern welfare state. Food and shelter are the basic human needs and therefore it is incumbent upon the state and government to give top priority to the policy initiatives that fulfil these needs of the citizens. Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in his address to the Constituent Assembly on 11 August 1947 among other things reiterated “Now, if we want to make this great State of Pakistan happy and prosperous, we should wholly and solely concentrate on the well-being of the people, and especially of the masses and the poor.”
Viewed in the backdrop of the foregoing, the Ehsas Programme of the PTI government is arguably the biggest poverty alleviation step, covering more than 134 initiatives derived from concepts of safety nets, human capital development, jobs and livelihood and pro-poor governance. It conforms to the spirit of empathy and compassion as per Islamic injunctions, concept of welfare state and sayings of the second caliph and the founder of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Among the steps in regards to pro-poor governance are the Ehsas Kafalat programme and Shelters for homeless, passengers and daily wage earners in the urban centres who are the people at the lowest rung of the society. The Kafalat programme aims to have seven million women beneficiaries by the end of 2020 out of which 70% have already been inducted into the programme. As part of this programme the most destitute women, regardless religion, race or ethnicity get paid a monthly stipend of Rs.2000. This monthly stipend ensures some predictability in income enabling the family to get food and healthcare when they would have otherwise been forced to go without it. This cash flow in addition to social protection also pursues financial and digital inclusion where 7 million women will be given bank accounts besides ensuring their access to phones to increase their reach to the messages related to health protection and empowerment.
The decision to build shelters (Panahgahs) for low income people who come to the cities to earn livelihood for their families and due to their meagre income cannot afford a roof on their heads and spend their nights on foot paths, is a commendable effort. In these shelters the labourers, passengers and other penniless people will get basic amenities of life like beds and food free of cost. It is for the first time in the history of the country that this pro-poor initiative has been taken. At present 150 shelters are running across the county equipped with modern facilities. The government reportedly has allocated Rs.49.5 million per annum for each shelter home According to the data compiled by the concerned authorities up till now more than 144,609 destitute have benefitted from the Panahgah, while 16,566 people have been provided beds and 128,048 served meals in the shelters.
In October 67,046 people benefitted from the shelter homes. They provided meals to 58,716 persons besides extending bed facilities to 2980 homeless persons. The programme envisages to provide roof to 29 million people. These shelter homes are being run on build, run and handover basis in collaboration with charity organizations and private sector which is sponsoring it under corporate social responsibility. Pakistan Baitul Mal (PBM) has also been tasked to remodel, rehabilitate the existing shelter homes and establish new ones in phases to provide temporary overnight stay with two-time meals to the needy individuals seeking bed and breakfast in pursuit of employment. The PBM reportedly has finalized a plan to set up five shelter homes each in all the four provinces by 31 January 2021.
Needless to emphasize that the credentials of a modern welfare state are not assessed by the high rise buildings, technological advancement and the lethal arsenal built by it but by the steps and measures taken by it to lift its people out of poverty and looking after the welfare of the most vulnerable sections of the society. Alleviation of poverty is not simply a welfare oriented undertaking. It is an imperative to propel economic growth of the country and ensuring peace and tranquillity within the society. The existence of abject poverty can also have serious political consequences. Somebody has rightly said that islands of affluence cannot exist in the oceans of poverty. Revolutions and political upheavals are invariably triggered by social injustices, economic disparities and apathy of the rulers to the plight of the underprivileged and deprived sections of the society. The existence of poverty also has very serious social repercussion and is also a major cause behind street crimes like mugging and robberies which sometimes also result in loss of lives. The PTI government honestly speaking deserves appreciation for its commitment to poverty alleviation and amelioration of the lot of the poor masses, more so Prime Minister Imran Khan who has shown an unwavering and abiding commitment to lift the economic and social profile of the underprivileged.
— The writer is freelance columnist based in Islamabad.
