Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday approved a multi-billion rupee relief package for different segments of society who are vulnerable to the adverse impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the country’s economy. The package was approved in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Khan at the Prime Minister Office.

A source privy to the meeting told Dawn that under the package the monthly stipend of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has been increased from Rs2,000 to Rs3,000.

The meeting was attended by Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Adviser to the PM on Finance Dr Hafeez Shaikh, Adviser to the PM on Textile and Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood and chairpersons of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and Pakistan Housing Authority (PHA).

The source said it had been decided that the funds of the government’s much ambitious Ehsaas programme would be distributed among the poor according to the available data of the BISP and through the under progress National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER) of the BISP.

Speaking on the occasion, PM Khan said the government would go to any extent to protect weak segments of society.