Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday launched Ehsaas Nashonuma in Bara Tehsil of district Khyber, a new conditional cash transfer programme aimed at addressing stunting and malnutrition in children under the age of two years across the country, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Sania Nishtar gave a briefing to the prime minister in Bara. She said ending malnutrition has long been a priority for the Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan was also present during the briefing.

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Sania Nishter said, “This is one of the 33 centres of Ehsaas Nashonuma, the new Ehsaas nutrition and health conditional cash transfer programme. District Upper Dir is one of the nine districts where this programme is commencing and this is one of the 6 centres in District Upper Dir.”

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As per the three-year prograame, Rs8.53 billion have been set aside while quarterlyRs2,000 stipend for girls and Rs1,500 stipend for boys will be distributed. Special charts, posters and informative videos on food, hygiene and health of women and their children have been compiled for the benefit of women benefiting from the development program.

Feminist Women Consumer Development Cash Scholarships will also be given while ATM machines are being specially installed at all development centres to facilitate payments through biometric verification to the female users of Ehsaas Nashounuma users.

Federal Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed said, “40 percent of children in Pakistan suffer from stunting due to malnutrition which deprives them of their natural height and ability.”

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As per World Food Organization (WFO) National Nutrition Survey 2018 showed that 36.9 percent of the Pakistan population faces food insecurity. Primarily, this is due to limited economic access by the poorest and most vulnerable group of the population – particularly women – to an adequate and diverse diet.

The survey also showed the second highest rate of malnutrition in the region with 18 percent of children under 5 suffers from acute malnutrition, around 40 percent of the children in the same age group are stunted and 29 percent are underweight.

WFO said all complementary feeding indicators are far below acceptable levels, only one in seven children aged 6–23 months receives a meal with minimum dietary diversity, with at least four different food groups, and around 82 percent children are deprived of the minimum number of the meals a day.