LARKANA:Women beneficiaries of federal government’s Ehsaas Emergency Cash Program Centers of distribution of cash amounting to Rs 12000 per family complained of deduction by the centre staff between Rs 500 to 1000 per woman in Larkana. The affected women demanded refund of the amount and stern action against the relevant staff who is involved in corruption during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Worst mismanagement was witnessed at the Centres as the organizers failed to enforce social distancing ordered by the government to keep away women from each other so that they remain safe. They were forced to stand in a queue without any distance under hot weather without arrangement of cold water and other required facilities.
Women at Government Boys Degree College, Larkana, Centre including Hawa, Nasreen, Razia Khatoon, Zubeda and others complained that Centre staff has deducted Rs 500 to 1000 from each of our amount of Rs 12000 and they demanded to disburse cash through ATM machines and action against the defaulters. On the other hand, Habib Bank Manager Aamir Bhutto ordered closure of ATM machine near Lahori Tower due to increased rush of the women beneficiaries because of which hundreds of women felt extremely worried. They held protest and demanded opening of the machine. The Bank manager said that it was feared that COVID-19 will spread among the women as they gathered in large numbers without observing social distancing.
On the other hand, rush of poor women was also witnessed at three Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme Centers in Naundero also when they were opened to disburse cash of Rs 12,000 per deserving family among the verified poverty-stricken families. These Centres have been opened at Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Government Primary School-1 in Naundero and Government High School in Garhi Khuda Bux. No proper security and social distancing arrangements were made on the occasion by the police which perhaps remained busy in enforcing lockdown and closure of markets before Juma prayers and women discarded the government instructions of social distancing as they all were only interested to get the money.
a citizen on the occasion said that such scenes are the norms throughout the country, because of Ehsaas funds disbursement program, the widely accepted effective measures for prevention of corona including social distancing and self isolation are being openly and blatantly flouted., A large number of ladies coming to receive the funds, remain unable to receive the funds because of the negligence of the Ehsaas program management.
He said that only purpose serving is cheap publicity and that the government might be seen doing at least something, much better way of disbursing these funds is through ATMs and the already established vendors of easy cash etc, a significant number of government resources including the manpower of police and other departments is also wasted at these counters, the same purpose could be achieved through banks and other means, he further murmured.