Prime Minister Imran Khan paid a surprise visit to the Tarlai Panah Gah in Islamabad on Wednesday. His videos of interacting with the people and enquiring about the facilities at Shelter Home are circulating on social media.
PM Khan inspected the shelter home to assure the best facilities for the people at shelter homes, his concern for the downtrodden masses of the society earned him praise on Twitter.
People’s Prime Minister among his people; PM @ImranKhanPTI enquires residents of Panahgah in Tarlai about the living conditions, expresses satisfaction over provision of heaters on this cold night & assures the labors there will be more employment opportunities for them in 2020! pic.twitter.com/8E1lKSZwXv
— PTI (@PTIofficial) January 1, 2020
PM Khan warmly greeted the people at the shelter home, the majority of them are daily wage laborers who take refuge in Panah Gaahs from the freezing temperatures in Islamabad.
In his interaction with the laborers, he enquired about where they belong to, their work conditions and employment opportunities besides asking about the services and food provided to them at the shelter home.
Read more: Ehsaas Saylani Langer Scheme: Ambitious Project to Feed Millions with Dignity
PM Khan received a warm welcome from the people Shelter Home, a man said to PM Khan that his wish of meeting him is fulfilled today.
Inshallah 2020 will be the better year for pakistan Inshallah❤️#PTI #ImranKhan https://t.co/lGhxtE6Zft
— Wâsïq Shãikh (@WsqShikh1) January 2, 2020
People complained to him that they are jobless these days due to the dip in construction work. PM Khan acknowledged their vows and assured them that their grievances would be addressed soon.
Shelter Homes in Islamabad and Peshawar were built upon his orders last winter. Last year, PM Khan had instructed the city administration to make arrangements to provide shelter to homeless people and daily wage laborers spending chilling nights by the roadside at extremely low temperatures.
kaisa h sub ?? Kaam mil rha h aaj kaal ??
Perhaps everyone suffering from crisis SiR #ImranKhan pic.twitter.com/t6N4S3Wrsl— SULTAN (@SULTAN_LEO) January 2, 2020
A PM who genuinely cares for the weak. Someone who ended his last year by visiting patients and started his new year by meeting the people taking shelter in PanahGah. Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI visiting Tarlai Panahgah pic.twitter.com/701HsjPxpT
— Dr Arslan Khalid (@arslankhalid_m) January 1, 2020
This year, too, PM Khan issued similar instructions to ensure no one had to spend the night under bare sky in chilling temperatures. In his tweet on December 29th, 2019, he informed that he has tasked CM Punjab and KPK to provide temporary shelter and food to people who cannot be accommodated in the existing shelter homes.
Lack of Funds for Shelter Homes
However, a recent report published last month claimed that PM Khan’s key initiative shelter homes are reeling with limited funds to function smoothly.
A welfare project of shelter homes is facing difficulty to function in the long-run due to the absence of a coherent system for fund allocation. A relief for destitute, the project calls for the government to sustain its utility.
The report claimed the local authorities and administration are funding the makeshift homes from their budget since the federal authority has not allocated the budget for the operations of Panahgaahs.
An unnamed source from the administration warned that the running of shelter homes will be difficult in the long-run if the government does not assign the funds for the project.
Read more: Shahid Afridi meets PM Khan and discussed welfare projects
Shelter Homes were built in Islamabad and Peshawar in the makeshift structures, government properties, and rented buildings. The authorities in Peshawar also complained that the lack of funds clouds the smooth functioning of the homes; adding that they have not been given the funds by the provincial or federal government for the panahgaahs that saddles the tight budget allocated for other development and administrative projects.
The PTI government had established three shelter homes in Islamabad to provide a secure place for homeless people who sleep on roads or on the footpaths. PM Khan said that such homes will protect the people from extreme weather conditions and chilling temperatures.
Other initiatives
Without a doubt, PM Khan is taking a lead on his predecessors in welfare projects for the masses. Similar to Shelter Homes is an initiative of ‘Soup Kitchen’ initiated under the Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation project that aims to serve free food to the laborers with marginal incomes.
https://twitter.com/behram_sanzer/status/1212412012988420098?s=20
https://twitter.com/shahidboss4U/status/1212405879724744706?s=20
PM Khan also introduced a healthcare system for the transgender community on Monday. The Sehat Insaf Card that falls under the government’s Sehat Sahulat Program was distributed among the transgender community.
The welfare of masses is dear to PM Khan’s heart and he has taken several other initiatives but the consistent administrative system is essential to support these programs.