ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government is set to launch a ration card scheme that aims to provide free food to 10 million families every month, chairman of the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) spearheading the initiative told Arab News in an exclusive interview on Sunday.
The USC – a state-owned enterprise that operates around 4,500 retail stores across the poverty-stricken country and provides basic commodities at subsidized rates – will shortlist eligible registered candidates through a stringent verification process.
“The deserving families will get free ration worth Rs3,000 [$19] every month through utility stores in their respective areas, while widows and elderly people would get it delivered at their homes free of cost. The project will be completed within two years,” USC chief, Zulqiurnain Ali Khan, said
With an initial funding of Rs3 billion per month, the project will be launched by Prime Minister Imran Khan in the next few days. 
“Applicants can register for the program by sharing their national identity card numbers on a short code,” Khan said.
The government has sought sponsorships for the project from philanthropists, overseas Pakistanis, companies and corporations to ensure the maximum number of families benefit from the initiative, the chairman said.
“We are working with 20 different international aid groups for the program. In UK, we are encouraging philanthropists to pay £15 a month to sponsor a poor family in Pakistan,” he said, adding that donors, companies and individuals can choose who they want to sponsor.
According to data compiled by the World Bank, nearly 24.3 percent live below the poverty line in Pakistan which has a population of nearly 220 million.
In recent years, Pakistan has launched several welfare schemes, including a monthly cash stipend and skills development programs.
Additionally, to support daily wage workers, the USC has been providing at least 18 essential food items – including sugar, rice, wheat flour, milk, lentils and different spices – at a 20 to 30 percent lower rate than those compared to the open market.
“We have distributed free ration packs to at least 50,000 poor families across Pakistan along with serving over four million customers during Ramadan,” Khan said.
To ensure transparency in the sale and purchase of different items, the government has allocated $20 million for IT deployment at the USC and moved all operations online which will be monitored through a central control room in Islamabad.
The move, he said, is part of PM’s Khan vision “to make Pakistan a real welfare state.”
“We are working tirelessly to achieve it.”