Government will register 1000s of grocery stores across Pakistan to disburse over Pkr 120 billion ($700m) under the new relief package.
Federal Minister of information said on Thursday.
“The national bank will register karyana (grocery) stores,” Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry. “Thousands of karyana stores will be registered.”
The eligibility would be that the store owner would have his own bank account and should have at least a smartphone on which he would download an app.”
The stores, Chaudhry said, will be linked with the government’s poverty alleviation Ehsaas program database, which has identity data of individuals eligible to receive aid.
“The store owner will feed the National Identity Card number of the person through the app and if the person’s identity card matches with the Ehsaas database information, he will get subsidy on 3 items, flour, ghee and pulses,” Chaudhry said.
“The amount (of subsidy) will be transferred from the Ehsaas account to the store owner account directly.” out of total relief package of $700m relief will be disbursed using registered grocery stores.