The Sindh government’s new E-card system is causing a delay in the distribution of subsidies to farmers.
According to sources, the Sindh government’s Agriculture, Supply, and Prices Department informed the Federal Ministry of National Food Security and Research that they have registered more than 40,000 small farmers for subsidy and more are in the process through E-card system, but this process is taking time due to revenue department verification, causing a delay in subsidy disbursement to the farmers.
According to sources, the federal cabinet ratified the Economic Coordination Committee’s (ECC) decision on fertilizer (DAP), cotton seed, and whitefly related pesticide subsidies for the Kharif crop 2021 on a sharing basis (federal government 75 percent and provincial government 25 percent) last year, and provincial governments agreed to use their existing subsidy disbursement mechanisms.
Punjab already has an E-voucher plan in place, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has a coupon system. Balochistan, on the other hand, is developing its own system.
According to sources, the federal government has already provided Sindh with Rs. 3.89 billion and Balochistan with Rs. 0.541 billion for the scheme. The federal government bears no additional financial responsibility.
According to the ECC resolution, provincial governments were responsible for disbursing subsidy monies and submitting a certificate of funds utilization to the Ministry of National Food Security and Research by January 1, 2022.
It is worth noting that the ECC last week also extended the deadline for farmers to receive subsidies for Kharif crop fertilizer (DAP), cotton seed, and whitefly-related insecticides throughout 2021.
To read our blog on “Sindh Govt. received a Digital Birth Registration (DBR) system from Telenor and UNICEF,” click here.
