KARACHI:Sindh Minister for Information Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that it was extremely regrettable that mobile companies were deducting the balances of all those needy people who were sending messages to receive cash under the federal government’s announced Ehsas program.
He requested the federal government to take immediate action in this regard so that poor people who were already suffering immensely after the lockdown announced in the wake of the spread of the Corona virus would not suffer any more. He said that the federal government should bear the costs of all the SMSs being sent under Ehsas program.
Shah said that the federal government should immediately direct the mobile companies to not deduct the balance of the sender of the messages under the Ehsas Program. He said that freeing these messages would facilitate the people.
Meanwhile, the Sindh Minister for Information said that the rapid increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the country was extremely alarmingly. The first case of the coronavirus was reported in the country on February 26, and such cases toll had now reached thousand in 29 days, while in the last two days, there were an increase of 864 new infected patients in the country.
“The rapid increase in the number of coronavirus affected patients is a matter of great concern,” he said. Shah said the situation could worsen if people did not take precautionary measures and did not follow the government’s announced health advisory. The minister said that it was not possible to get rid of the pandemic, unless the people fully followed the lock down.
He urged the people to follow the directives of the government and refrain from leaving their homes except for any emergency. Shah said it was feared that the number of people affected by the coronavirus would increase by thousands in three days. The information minister said that the situation was serious and they had to recognize it and take precautionary measures accordingly before long, or else, it would be late.
“We have to prove ourselves decent citizen and take care of others, while keeping ourselves safe,” he said. Lock down was being implemented in Sindh, and needed to be tightened, Shah said. He said that in total, 217 coronavirus patients had recovered in Sindh, while another 11 patients recovered in last 24 hours. “All this became possible only because of the government’s announced lockdown and people implementing self-isolation,” he said.
Shah said that lock down announced to prevent the spread of the coronavirus had positive impacts, adding that the people had also fully supported the government in this regard. The minister appealed to the people to cooperate more with the government so as to get rid of the pandemic completely.
Meanwhile, Shah said that water tankers had been placed in 10 different places in the city so that law enforcement agencies’ personnel could wash their hands and face repeatedly using the water of these tankers. The minister said that not only wash basins had been installed with these tankers, but also soaps and hand sanitizers had also been placed. He said that as the Sindh government was very much concerned about its doctors, nurses and para-medical staff, in the similar way the government was concerned about its security agencies’ personnel. Shah said that given the situation, more tankers would be placed at different places of the city.