Ehsaas Digital to empower, facilitate common man: Dr Sania Nishtar

Islamabad : Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Sania Nishtar Wednesday said that Ehsaas had opened an e-portal Ehsaas Digital to provide easy access to information and services related to all its initiatives which would help empower and facilitate a common man.

The digital e-portal offers Ehsaas specific people centered information to address their questions about how they can benefit from diverse programmes of Ehsaas as they are not interested in technical information, Dr. Nishtar stated during a news conference held here.

Dr. Nishar explained that Ehsaas Digital e-portal was a one stop source of information on Ehsaas, electronically linking public with the right set of information needed to enroll and benefit from its initiatives.

It integrates Ehsaas benefits and services for 14 different target groups of our society all including the extreme poor, orphans, widows, the homeless, the disabled, the undernourished, students from low-income backgrounds and poor women and elderly citizens, she said.

Specifically designed instructional programmes in Urdu allow masses to read and understand people centered information of myriad Ehsaas programmes and initiatives; Ehsaas Kafaalat, Ehsaas Surey, Ehsaas Registeration Desks, Ehsaas Nashonuma, Waseela e Taleem Digital, Ehsaas undergraduate Scholarship, Ehsaas Interest Free Loan, Ehsaas Bachat Account, Ehsaas Amdan, Dar-ul-Ehsaas, Ehsaas Panahgah, Ehsaas Langar, Ehsaas Koi Bhooka Na Soye, One Window Ehsaas, Ehsaas Tahafuz and several others, she said.

Anyone interested to know about Ehsaas can check instructional details of mainstream Ehsaas programmes through this online portal.

Ehsaas Digital lets people see the salient features, eligibility criteris, benefits, address lists of programme offices by region along with helpline numbers for each of the programmes and initiatives.

Dr. Nishtar said that one can access programme pages by clicking on the relevant programme button on the main page of this portal.

Electronically, the Ehsaas Digital portal can be accessed at: http://ehsaasdigital.pass.gov.pk/.

Being a part of One Window Ehsaas, the Ehsaas Digital will also strengthen transparency and communication loops with public-particularly with Ehsaas beneficiaries.

Being able to respond to queries and concerns of beneficiaries in Urdu language, will enable Ehsaas to tailor its social protection and poverty alleviation response to be more efficient and people centric.

Dr. Nishtar said that amid, promoting an evidence-based communication was critically needed to counter the widespread rumors and misinformation by fraudsters in the name of Ehsaas.

This digital information and services platform will deter corruption and fraud by alerting a common man with relevant and appropriate information about Ehsaas benefits and services .

The SAPM also explained that One Window Ehsaas has six main pillars; a one stop shop; the Ehsaas Center; back office digital interface; a public facing digital information and services platform; a mobile app; cognitive API architecture-the integrated database; and the Ehsaas One Window Beneficiary Selection and Targeting Policy.

The first Ehsaas One Window Center was opened by the Prime Minister on June 9 in the federal capital where all Ehsaas services can be accessed in one place.

Dr. Nishtar conveyed that Ehsaas will open One Window Ehsaas Centers in every district for which approval will be sought in the board meeting scheduled to be held this month.

Responding to a question, Dr. Nishtar informed that Rs190 billion has been utilised so far during the current Fiscal Year out of Rs200 billion for Ehsaas initiatives.

To another question, she said Ehsaas has not received any foreign funding for its projects.

Dr. Nishtar also informed that work on providing access to the people to all the instructional material in Sindhi and Pashto language was going on.