Prime Minister Imran Khan’s flagship poverty alleviation scheme ‘Murghi Paal and Katta Paal faced a shortage of funds, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Thursday.

A special monitoring report on PM's poultry scheme programme has been released that revealed the programme is being affected due to the paucity of the funds.

Only Rs200 million out of Rs1 billion were released for Prime Minister’s Initiative for Save the Calf and Calf Feedlot Fattening in Pakistan, the report said.

The project’s aim was to increase the production of high-quality beef in the country by saving 380,000 male calves during the next four years. These calves will be saved up to the age of three months and attain an average body weight of 65-70 kg per calf.

While Rs50 million were released instead of Rs140 million in the Prime Minister’s Initiative for Backyard Poultry scheme.

Under the project, the Livestock Department completed the target of distribution of chickens and registration of animals. As many as 40,000 calves were registered across Punjab under the programme.

In Lahore, 1,240 animals were registered under the ‘Katta Bachao Scheme’, 925 animals were registered in Lahore under the ‘Katta Farba programme’. The report said more than 0.25 million chickens were distributed across Punjab.

In Lahore, more than 60,000 chickens were given to the citizens under the Prime Minister's Backyard Poultry programme.

The project is designed to provide five million pre-vaccinated high laying birds throughout the country including Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.