An unsavoury critique of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has erupted with the opposition political parties alleging that taxpayer's money is being misused by the political party in power to buy the next general election. This mega socio-economic programme has issued a detailed rebuttal, claiming that such fears are totally misconceived and unfounded. However, according to a former Secretary of Election Commission, 'the EC will have to take note and may stop the programme in order to hold free and fair election'.
We hope the EC will not be swayed into such a decision without ascertaining the veracity of allegations as BISP is a cash-transfer targeted programme for families languishing in abject poverty.
The programme at the start may have had political overtones as 8,000 forms per elected representatives were distributed to obtain data for distribution of cash-transfer. However, once the World Bank was approached to provide funding from its poverty-alleviation programme - much more detailed door-to-door survey of 26 million households was undertaken on the basis of Nadra's data bank. Instead of one year as originally envisaged, it took two and half years for the blind survey and a comprehensive audit to reconfirm the veracity of the data which showed as many as six million families living in woeful economic conditions. It goes to the credit of the present government which acquired the services of five eminent personalities from the private sector to depoliticize the programme. These are non-controversial persons such as Dr Shams-Kasim Lakha, Dr Ishrat Husain, Dr Ijaz Nabi, Shaukat Fayyaz Tarin and Arif Nizami. These persons on Board of BISP appear to be greatly satisfied that the programme is being professionally run. As such, this programme's continuity needs to be ensured beyond the life of the present government. Besides reaffirmation of the poverty survey - a Poverty Score Card-based household identification of the poor has been instituted and now money is distributed through Smart Card and CNIC verification. Moreover, a third-party verification has been instituted to ascertain whether or not beneficiaries are receiving cash.
BISP was launched by PPP. The party will rightly take credit for the programme at the ballot box. Initially, PPP politicians distributed cheques among the recipients. There shall be obvious political dividends. However, now the programme has been greatly politicised and is meant to provide cash-transfer to the poor. It can and should be used as a platform for developing more targeted subsidies. The poor as life-line consumers are charged low rates for utilities. This has resulted in multiple meters - in posh localities - in the same premises to benefit from a lower tariff. While most of across-the-board subsidy is cross-subsidised by other consumers, in some cases, however, government does provide subsidy such as the Ramazan Package offering below-market rates for essential items sold at utility stores, and imported fertiliser. This kind of across-the-board subsidy has been lavishly availed even by those who do not need it. The element of subsidy is growing every year and has resulted in a double-digit fiscal deficit. This is clearly unsustainable. It has been proven beyond doubt that targeted subsidy to the very poor and the weak section of society is far more beneficial and more sustainable. Therefore, BISP needs to be continued and continuously tweaked for better results. The members on the Policy Board of BISP can lay down policies and hold the BISP staff accountable. However, they cannot be a substitute for a management entrusted to run a professional organisation. Only the top management of BISP can ensure that. Staffing has to be done free of any 'sifarish'. The operators of the BISP programme owe it to the poor, needy and the weak. There are lots of good things that BISP has done such as training, education and health of the deserving, including health insurance as well as life insurance of the bread-earner. It is a well-conceived and planned out affair which needs to be built upon to turn Pakistan into a true welfare state. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's slogan of Roti, Kapra aur Makan can be translated, albeit partially, into a stark reality if BISP is allowed to grow.
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