Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Corona Philanthropy Drive Khurshid Alam says that more than 3.5 billion rupees have so far been donated to Prime Minister Corona Relief Fund to help people whose jobs have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns.

Speaking on Wednesday in a Radio Pakistan Islamabad programme, he said people from all walks of life, government departments, private organizations and philanthropists are contributing to the Relief Fund.

The Focal Person said the Prime Minister would soon announce the beginning of the fund’s disbursement among the deserving people.

He said each Pakistani would be able to donate twenty rupees to the Fund by sending a blank SMS at 6677 while cell phone companies would add a matching sum to each post. He said the government would contribute to the Fund four times against the sum that the Fund collects.

Khurshid Alam said the prime minister wants the initial collection of around twenty billion rupees to better serve the people whose jobs have been impacted by the lockdown. He said that we had the goal of hitting non-registered employees.

He said that even people who have received up to thirty-five thousand rupees per month and have been affected by their jobs will receive financial support from the fund.

He added that a database would be prepared to classify the deserving citizens based on the pattern of Ehsaas programme.

Khurshid Alam said a platform is being launched for the people affected to register for financial assistance by uploading their information.

Answering a query, the Focal Individual said that the advertising drive for Prime Minister Corona Relief Fund does not have a single penny spent from government funds. He said numerous organizations have been asked to make a part of their promotional messages about the Relief Fund. He has encouraged people to contribute generously to the Campaign.

He said only eligible citizens could apply for government relief packages to serve the full vulnerable.

Citizens can contribute to the fund by donating in National Bank Account No. 4162786786.