Lack of data hinders govt's financial assistance plan in Sindh.

KARACHI -- As the spread of COVID-19 disrupted people's lives across the country, especially affecting daily-wage workers and low-income families, the government of Pakistan announced a financial stimulus package to alleviate the situation. When it comes to Sindh, however, the plan has been hit with delays because of the non-cooperation of the federal government.

According to the Sindh government, despite formal requests, different departments of the federal government have failed to send the data required to verify the eligibility of needy persons.

In this regard, Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab said that without the availability of people's credentials, his government is unable to expedite the process.

'We formally requested the Centre to send the data as soon as possible but we have not yet received a response,' Wahab told The Express Tribune. 'For the process of verification, we need access to data from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the State Bank of Pakistan and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.'

Wahab added that the provincial government wants to confirm with the FBR whether or not a person is a taxpayer before considering them for financial assistance.

'The Sindh government also wants to check the bank balance of people to ascertain that they are deserving before helping them,' he said.

Responding to a query, Wahab said that the relevant federal authorities have neither clearly denied nor responded positively to the request; however, the real issue here is the undue delay in helping the poor and the needy.

Explaining the plan, Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh said that the provincial government intends to provide financial assistance to almost two million people in the province.

'The government has still not finalised the amount per head, but it will be around Rs3,000 to 4,000 per person,' he said.

Shaikh, who is also a member of the Sindh...