President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday directed Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) to devise a comprehensive assistance package for the victims of terrorism. Addressing the third draw of Waseela-e-Haq Programme at Aiwan-e-Sadr here, President Zardari advised that assistance of professional bodies, running charities might also be sought to attract funds for the programme from various international donors.
"Negotiations are already under way with the international community and donors to help create a special fund for institutionalising the rehabilitation and assistance to the families of victims of terror on a permanent basis," President Zardari said.
The President said the government was determined to bring a revolutionary change in the lives of the poor and make Pakistan a true welfare state, as envisioned by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar said that under the special "Waseela-e Haq programme," a one time interest-free loan of Rs 300,000, repayable in easy monthly instalments in 15 years was being given to the poorest of the poor, selected through computerised balloting.
President Zardari said the Waseela-e-Haq programme, aimed at providing economic assistance to the deserving households, was a true manifestation of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto's vision of socio-economic justice.
The President directed improvement in the programme by allowing the beneficiaries to join hands with others in starting a business that required more investment. He said the BISP could also take care of the children whose parents fell victim to the acts of terrorism in the country.
President Zardari said he would personally monitor, supervise and continue to provide guidance to the programme to ensure that it was implemented transparently across the country, without any discrimination. The President assured the poor of the country that under the programme, which was above party politics, they would get their due rights and would serve as a vehicle for the emancipation of the poor and the downtrodden.
President Zardari directed Chairperson of Benazir Income Support Programme Farzana Raja to induct modern and swift means of transfer of money to the beneficiaries at their doorsteps.
He also asked her to ensure that the Benazir Smart Cards were introduced by next month so that the people could benefit without any cumbersome procedures. The President described the programme as the "beginning of the end of the generational poverty trap of the poor."
He said he was pleased to learn that the BISP programme had been extended to Gilgit-Baltistan also where more than 50,000 deserving families were being facilitated under the programme. He described it as an "unprecedented programme" that gave the poor people a lifetime chance to come out of the poverty traps.
President Zardari also directed the government to complete the nation-wide survey of the poorest of the poor in a transparent manner. He said that Rs 34 billion were allocated for the BISP in the 2008-09 budget, which had been enhanced to Rs 70 billion for 2009-10 to give cash assistance to five million families.
He said the coverage of the programme would be increased to seven million families over the medium term by 2010-11. President Zardari said that the programme was aimed at empowering women, as benefits under it were available only to the female head of the family.
Stressing the need for transparency, the President said that public money and international funding must be directly and transparently utilised for the welfare of the most deserving and that the poverty scorecard must meet the internationally recognised standards for assessing poverty. "Transparency will make the Benazir Income Support Programme truly Benazir," he said.
The President also thanked the international community for its support to the programme, which, he said, was vital to bring about a revolutionary change in the lives of the poor and under-privileged. The BISP has been designed to be a comprehensive social protection scheme, and a platform for women empowerment, health and accident insurance, vocational training and interest-free financing for self-employment for the poor, he said.
Zardari said Waseela-e-Haq took its origins from the philosophy of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who believed that the poor were the real rulers of the country and "we are here to serve them." Shaheed Benazir Bhutto took this vision forward and personally visited the far-flung villages and towns to reach out to the poorest of the poor.
BISP Chairperson Farzana Raja gave an overview of the Waseela-e-Haq programme, and said it was based on Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto's principles of equality among masses and ending their sense of deprivation. She said President Zardari was pursuing the manifesto of the Pakistan Peoples Party with true dedication based on democratic norms. She said under the Waseela-e-Haq programme, 731 and 747 households were provided Rs 300,000 each in the first and second phases respectively, while 762 families were being given economic assistance in the third draw.
Farzana Raja said under this programme, about 2.28 million families and 0.35 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) would directly benefit, while emergency relief package for earthquake affected areas were also included in this.
Farzana Raja said a nation-wide survey, launched to identify the poor families, had already been completed in 15 districts. By the end of next year, the survey of the poor in all districts of the country would be completed, she said. Earlier, Fateha was offered for the departed soul of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
President Zardari handed over certificates of eligibility to the beneficiaries of the second draw. He also had a photograph with the women hailing from far off places and joined them during the refreshments. The President's spokesman said the amount was for pre-defined income generating schemes by the poor beneficiaries to help extricate them from the ghettos of poverty. Under the scheme, over 700 beneficiaries are selected every month through a computerised balloting. Previous balloting were held in October and November.
The event was attended by the Federal ministers, senior government officials, representatives of NGOs and members of the poor families. To guard against misuse and leakage, the management is done by the BISP Implementation Unit, verification of eligible families by the Nadra and cash disbursement by the Pakistan Post at the doorstep through money orders.
Farzana Raja said cash grants, Waseela-e-Haq, poverty surveys, Benazir Smart Card, mobile banking, health/accident insurance, vocational training and emergency relief packages are the major components of the BISP. The transparency in cash grants component is being ensured through functional separation mechanism and individual payment mechanism details are available on the BISP website. It may also be recalled that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also announced a contribution of 85 million dollars to the BISP during her recent visit to Pakistan.
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