Daily Times

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Sania Nishtar Friday convened a final consultative meeting with all four executing agencies of Ehsaas to discuss the policy and roll out plan for the forthcoming One Window Ehsaas operations.

The meeting was held at the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division (PASSD), said a news release issued here.

As a part of One Window Ehsaas Initiative, preparations are underway to open the first of its kind, ‘Physical One Window Ehsaas Center’ in Islamabad and inaugurate ‘Ehsaas Digital’ by the end of March 2021.

In this regard, Ehsaas is currently in a process of structuring and integrating One Window Ehsaas, which is a single- service operation to avoid duplication and ensure improved access to multisectoral Ehsaas initiatives.

“The Ehsaas Strategy stipulates the creation of ‘One-Window Ehsaas’ (Policy # 4) to enable rule-based delivery of the multiple Ehsaas programmes through a single window”, Dr Nishtar said.

The initiative comprises ‘Physical One Window Ehsaas Centers, interlinked Ehsaas services through Ehsaas e-portal, Ehsaas Android app, deployment of cognitive API architecture for data sharing, standardization of beneficiary targeting and alignment of program beneficiary populations”, she added.

The first ‘Physical One Window Ehsaas Center’ opening in Islamabad will be a one-stop-shop that will integrate all Ehsaas programmes under one roof.

The center will facilitate beneficiaries to get information on all Ehsaas benefits and services available to them in one space.

Likewise, the Ehsaas e-portal will be a one-stop-shop that will provide links to all Ehsaas-related information and services. Available on Google Playstore, the Ehsaas App will be an android application.

Currently, Ehsaas is also building a new database for standardized beneficiary targeting through Ehsaas National Socioeconomic Registry (NSER) survey.

The new Ehsaas database will steer Ehsaas One Window operations. All executing agencies of Ehsaas will be able to access data from the survey database in real time and will be able to ascertain eligibility of potential beneficiaries.

As of today, the Ehsaas survey is 70% complete and is progressing smoothly to conclude nationwide by June 2021.

Along with Secretary PASSD, Mohammad Ali Shahzada, senior officials from Ehsaas’ executing agencies- Benazir Income Support Program, Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund, Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal and Trust of Voluntary Organizations also joined the meeting.