Around 413,390 interest free loans provided to poor households
ISLAMABAD: A total of 413,390 interest free loans have been provided from July-September 2019 to the poorest households throughout the country under National Poverty Graduation Initiative (NPGI) of Ehsaas programme of the government.
Out of total 413, 390 interest free loans, around 223,094 beneficiaries were men and 190,296 women, an official source revealed.
According to the data received from July 2019 to November 2019, a total of 339,195 beneficiaries from Punjab were provided interest free loans, 35,528 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 15,843 from Sindh, 9,866 from Gilgit-Baltistan, 9,401 from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 2,376 from Balochistan and 1,181 from Islamabad Capital Territory.
The interest free loan is a component of NPGI is being implemented through Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF). The range of interest free loans is PKR 20,000 to Rs. 75,000. NPGI is aimed at ensuring uplift of poor women through providing them interest free loans, assets and vocational skills, enabling them to run their small businesses for becoming self-sufficient.
The government has set targets to provide as many as 3.8 million interest free loans (80,000 loans a month for the next four years) to 2.28 million households allocating 46 percent to women. - APP