State to benefit deserving and backward classes
Sharafat Kazmi Islamabad
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday said when the state will take the responsibility of provision of food to the homes of deserving people, the blessings of Allah would descend on Pakistan.
He said that ‘Ehsaas none goes to bed hungry’ program has been expanded to Peshawar, Lahore and Faisalabad, and will benefit the deserving and backward classes, enabling people to eat two time meals a day.
He was addressing the virtual inauguration ceremony of the ‘Ehsaas Koi Bhooka Na Soye’ program here.
Prime Minister noted that a network of kitchen trucks: meals on wheels would be set up all over Pakistan gradually.
He said that Pakistan came into existence with a purpose but we could not follow this path. “Today we have more debts and limited resources to spend money on the people.
Despite this, Allah has commanded us to follow this path, then this path is the path of supremacy of law and humanity. It is our key responsibility to take care of the weaker sections of society,” he said.
In addition, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that more shelters would be opened in Islamabad for laborers coming from other cities.
He congratulated the chief ministers of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the occasion and remarked, “you have no idea yet how much work it has been started”.
He emphasized that blessings and prosperity came from God but it was up to humans to make the effort for them.
He added he wanted the government functionaries and ministers to realise that their biggest responsibility was towards the segment that was poor.
He thanked the Saylani Welfare trust for their cooperation and said ‘you are very lucky people for the work you are doing. Pakistan is one of the few countries where people donate the most’.
He recalled that the people proved this during the construction of Shaukat Khanum Hospital and with their help patients were being treated ‘free of cost’ today.
Though, he noted the cancer treatment was expensive, yet 75 per cent patients were being treated free and another hospital in Peshawar was also operational and yet another would be built in Karachi.
He said that Shaukat Khanum Hospital became operational 25 years ago and had so far spent Rs. 50 billion on the treatment of poor patients.
He said that health insurance was being provided for the first time in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Imran said that in the next phase, a network of private hospitals would be built across the country.
He noted that for the first time in Islamabad, health card coverage was being provided to the population.
