LAHORE: The Punjab labour and human resource department has deferred the distribution of the Paklistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government’s flagship Punjab Mazdoor Cards (PMCs) scheme promising subsidised goods and services and cash benefits to the registered workers and their families, apparently to give the scheme’s credit to the new government, official sources say.

       The PTI government’s scheme envisaged provision of various facilities and concessions to all the registered labourers, besides offering them private sector products and services on subsidised rates. More associated benefits could also be offered on the card in the days to come.

       Well-placed sources in the department say that “delaying tactics” are being used so that the Shehbaz-led government could settle in and claim the credit for the initiative after possible repackaging of the green and red coloured card.

       The Bank of Punjab (BoP) had agreed to bear all cost around the ATM-supported debit card and reportedly spent over Rs160 million through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and got around 25 percent of the total 1.2 million cards printed and shipped off from China. “The BoP, through a Letter of Agreement, had accepted the request of the Punjab Employees Social Security Institution (PESSI) governing body to bear the total cost of the card’s designing, manufacturing, disbursement, data collection and verification, besides direct disbursement to the beneficiaries from the bank’s own resources,” a senior official in the department says.

       Now, the official says, the PMCs, including those which carry registered labourers’ names, are lying ready with the BoP for disbursement and may expire in less than two weeks – on May 9.

       The BoP has yet again told the labour department that under the State Bank of Pakistan’s regulations the cards will expire if not activated within 60 days of issuance (as per date printed on it), a source in the department says. The bank needs to disburse the cards at least two weeks ahead of the expiry date, he adds.

       The PESSI, the executing body, has been caught between the devil and the deep see as it is not getting permission to disburse the first tranche of the PMCs, apprehending that any further delay will not only lead to expiry of the cards, but also cause massive financial loss to the BoP which may result in inquiries against those responsible for the fiasco.

       The sources say former Punjab labour minister Ansar Majeed Niazi had initially delayed the disbursement of the card over differences with the PESSI management, but could not manage to launch the scheme before the opposition ousted the PTI set up.

       Meanwhile, some 1.2 million registered workers and their nine million family members are waiting for the delivery of the cards for quite some time with their fingers crossed.

       Stating that this labourer-friendly scheme should not be sacrificed at the altar of politics, a department officer asserted that the initiative was aimed at providing the workers registered with PESSI free medical services, scholarships for children and cash benefits, besides concessions by educational institutions, subsidised transport and private sector products through formal agreements.

       Sources say the labour department had constituted a committee headed by its labour welfare director-general, to find ways and means for publicity, promotion and disbursement of the cards on March 9. Since the constitution of the committee, the PESSI had time and again requested the higher authorities for timely disbursement of the PMCs, but in vain, they add.

       The BoP says that as many as 200,000 more cards had been procured and stored with the bank. Some 30,000 cards had so far been personalised for the respective workers, with their names printed on them, and need to be disbursed at the earliest to keep the scheme functional, it adds.

       Given the labour department’s cold response to its generosity with regard to the scheme, the BoP has already stopped manufacturing and printing of more cards, citing non-disbursement of the first tranche, non-availability of storage space with the bank and fear of financial loss to the bank, if the cards expire before their delivery, a source in the PESSI says.

       “Under the banking rules, the BoP is bound to deliver the cards to the account-holder beneficiaries directly and cannot hand these over to the PESSI,” the source adds.

       Given the situation, it is learnt, the PESSI has formally requested the labour department secretary to allow disbursement of the first tranche of 30,000 cards for test-run to address the technical difficulties and operational issues, if any. The remaining cards can been tailed-up subsequently for disbursement, it states.

       When contacted, Punjab labour and human resource department Secretary Dr Suhail Shahzad says the issues hampering the disbursement of cards were more technical than political in nature. “We will sort these issues out soon,” he claims.

       Dr Shahzad says the former labour minister had delayed the launch of the card because he wanted to add more and more subsidies and concessions to the scheme.

       He says the department has signed concession agreements with some private sector educational institutions, transport companies, fair price shops etc. “The former minister wanted that at least 25 agreements should be signed with the private sector to offer subsidised services and goods to the registered labourers and their families,” the secretary says.

       When asked that the BoP was insisting that the PMCs should be distributed immediately to avoid the expiry under the SBP rules, the secretary said he would consult with the BoP authorities and ensure that no card should expire before delivery.

       Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2022