ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday launched a Rs20 billion Ramazan package to support four million deserving families across the country, benefiting approximately 20 million people.

The package is approximately 186 per cent larger than the one announced for the previous Ramazan.

Addressing the ceremony held to launch the package, the prime minister said that a total of 4m deserving families comprising about 20m people would get relief from this package which would be distributed in the first 10 days of the holy month.

Each family would receive Rs5,000 through digital wallets, he said, expressing satisfaction that price hikes had been lower this year compared to the previous Ramazan.

`This year, an amount of Rs20bn has been allocated for the purpose. The relief amount last year was Rs7bn,` he added.

PM Shehbaz praised relevant authorities and institutions, including ministries, State Bank of Pakistan, National Database and Registration Authority, Benazir Income Support Programme and tech companies, for their efforts in developing the digital mechanism. The initia-tive, he added, would benefit all parts of the country through a well-structured digital system.

The prime minister also expressed gratitude to foreign partners for their support and collaboration in the noble cause, appreciating their commitment and valuable contributions. He noted that billions of rupees belonging to the poor nation had been tied up in litigation for years, reaffirming the government`s commitment to securing swift decisions on pending cases worth Rs500bn in various courts.

The PM said corruption was being dealt with firmly. He said that during the previous interim government`s tenure, banks had made windfall profits from fluctuations in dollar rates and later obtained stay orders from courts when the government introduced legislation on the matter.

Referring to a recent Sindh High Court decision, he said that Rs23bn had been recovered following the resolution of a case.

He described the corruption in the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) as the worst and said it was being privatised to alleviate public hardships through a proactive digital system, similar to the one recently launched.

The prime minister reiterated his commitment to shutting down other loss-making government entities as well.

The prime minister expressed deep sorrow over the terrorist attack onMaulana HamidulHaq at Darul Uloom Haqqania, in which he embrace d martyrdom. He said the seminary was a renowned centre of Islamic studies, and Friday`s incident was heart-wrenching and highly condemnable.

He asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to take immediate action to bring the perpetrators to justice. He added that terrorism had been eradicated from the country by 2018, and in that fight around 80,000 Pakistanis, including security officers, jawans and people from all segments of society, had sacrificed their lives.

The PM regretted that terrorism had resurfaced in recent times, adding that everyone was aware of the reasons. However, he vowed that with the sacrifices of security forces and the nation`s support, they would eliminate terrorism once and for all and would not rest until its complete eradication.

On the occasion, Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain said the Ramazan package was approved within 20 days, with all relevant authorities playing a significant role, allowing its launch before the holy month.

He assured that a foolproof mechanism would ensure the swift transfer of funds to the 4m deserving families across the country. Moreover, he added, 600 stalls were being set up to provide sugar at a subsidised price of Rs130 per kg.