ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has approved the ‘Chota Karobar Imdad Package’ worth Rs 50 billion, an initiative for small businesses under which the government will pay their electricity bill for three months.
In a Press Conference in Islamabad on Monday, the Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar said that around 3.5 million people running small businesses like tailor shops, small markets, and industrial units will take advantage of this initiative.
Hammad Azhar said that small businesses having commercial connection of less than five kilowatt and industrial consumers less than 70 kilowatt can benefit from the program. He said that 95 percent commercial and 80 percent industrial connection holders will be benefited of the Chota Karobar Imdad Package.
The minister said that the program will equally be available for the people of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) as well.
ECC has today approved the package that shall benefit 35 lac small businesses.
For those with 5KW commercial or 70 KW industrial connections, the govt will pay their electricity bills for up to 3 months after they restart.
Consumption data from past will be used as a benchmark.— Hammad Azhar (@Hammad_Azhar) April 27, 2020
95% of all commercial and 80% of all industrial connections in the country will benefit from this cash injection in their businesses.
These businnesea are overwhelmingly of micro, small and medium scale.— Hammad Azhar (@Hammad_Azhar) April 27, 2020
The sums deposited in their bills will stay valid for utilisation upto 6 months. The sum will be based on actual consumption and total payments made from the meter in the May, June, July 2019 period combined.
— Hammad Azhar (@Hammad_Azhar) April 27, 2020
Furthermore, Hammad Azhar said that the government has allocated Rs 75 billion to provide relief to labourers and daily wagers who have lost their jobs due to Coronavirus.
The minister for industries and production said that this amount has been allocated on the directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan to provide relief to the common people.
Hammad Azhar said that under the program Rs 12,000 each will be distributed among four to six million people, which will be additional to 12 million Ehsas beneficiaries. He said that a portal to this effect will be launched after getting the federal cabinet’s nod tomorrow.
The minister said that labourers and daily wagers can get themselves registered by accessing the portal and filling the requisite information there. He said that this process can be completed in around three minutes. He added that the eligible people will be finalized after applying.
