BISP planning to send skilled youth to Gulf states

After the restructuring of Waseela-e-Rozgar scheme, Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) is planning to send skilled youth to Gulf countries during the upcoming financial year 2014-15. Talking to Business Recorder, Secretary BISP Rab Nawaz stated that after completing the restructuring of Waseela-e-Rozgar scheme, which is currently under way, the youth will be imparted trainings as per the international requirements.
"This will help in increasing their demand in the international market. The restructuring process will be completed soon and afterwards Waseela-e-Rozgar scheme would become more effective," he added. He said the main focus of the social safety net programme was to impart training in the construction sector as there was huge demand of such skilled workers in the Middle East.
The Waseela-e-Rozgar scheme, he added, had been halted temporarily as it needed extensive reforms such as social mobilisation, improvement in the selection criteria and an effective monitoring mechanism besides agreements with different training organisations. He also said BISP was in touch with Ministries of Overseas Pakistanis and Foreign Affairs to help identify areas where manpower was needed so that the youth could be trained according to requirements of the international market.
About restructuring of the Waseela-e-Rozgar scheme, he said it would be completed in three stages. In the first stage, he said MoUs had been signed with trade training institutions, chambers of commerce and other organisations. In the second stage, he said Waseela-e-Rozgar scheme would be merged with Waseela-e-Haq scheme while in the third stage the trained youth would be sent aboard after making all the arrangements for their employment.
Through merging Waseela-e-Rozgar scheme with Waseela-e-Haq scheme, small loans would be provided to the skilled youth who were showing an interest in setting up small business in the country, he added. When asked about monetisation policy for the officials of BISP, he said it had already been approved by the then BISP Management Board in November 2012, under which the officers of BPS 19 and above would benefit. Rab Nawaz admitted that there was an audit objection about the monetisation policy and the matter was pending before the Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC), which would be taken up shortly. "We'll implement whatever the DAC decides," he added.