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April 14, 2020

PM appeals to expats to donate to coronavirus relief fund

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday appealed to the overseas Pakistanis to come forward and donate generously to the Corona Relief Fund as the country faces looming challenge of poverty.

“Pakistan will be hit by poverty as aftermath of the lockdown due to coronavirus and will thus need financial support from overseas Pakistanis,” the prime minister said in a video message addressed to the Pakistanis living abroad. He said Pakistan can only collect eight billion rupees so far which is quite a little amount for the 220 million population. On the other hand, the United States has provided relief of $2,200 billion for its 300 million population, while Germany and Japan allocated over $1,000 billion each to fight the pandemic. “It is therefore need of the hour that overseas Pakistanis play their part in mitigating the difficult situation the country is currently facing,” he said.

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He mentioned that a dedicated website, http://covid.ophrd.gov.pk, has been launched for smooth transfer of donations. He expressed the hope that with joint efforts, Pakistan will be able to fully overcome the challenge of COVID-19.

The website of Corona Relief Fund offers multiple options for donations including Separately, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday launched Tele School Television Channel and said the government will utilize all its resources to improve the channel. He maintained the channel will also benefit children living in far-flung areas.

Speaking at the launching ceremony here, the prime minister said the aim of the initiative is to provide education to children at their doorsteps during the lockdown situation. Terming it a great concept particularly in remote areas of the country where there is no infrastructure for primary education, he said the initiative should be continued after the end of coronavirus disease.

The prime minister said that there have been complaints of below-standard education in government schools in remote areas of the country, and also referred to a number of such complaints in his home constituency Mianwali. He said the tele school television channel is a productive opportunity for the parents, adding that the step will also help out a large number of children who have been dropped out of schools.

He said Pakistan lags behind in tele education and tele medicines, adding that through this system and mobile phones, adult education will also be promoted.

Chairing a review meeting on the implementation of financial package announced by the government, Prime Minister Imran Khan said the foremost priority of the government amid coronavirus situation is to provide relief to weaker segment of the society, particularly labourers, daily-wagers and people with humble background.

The finance secretary gave an in-depth briefing on the so far progress on financial assistance worth Rs 1.2 trillion announced for different sectors. The managing director of Utility Stores briefed about the position of available stock of items and arrangements in view of the month of Ramazan.

 

Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk

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