Talks between the government and Asian Development Bank are under way for $430 million loan for Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). A spokesman told Business Recorder that no fixed timeline can be given in this regard. He acknowledged that BISP has not released the first quarterly instalment (July-September 2013) that would enable it to release Rs 1200 per month to 5.5 million beneficiaries.
The spokesman added that currently the Management Information System (MIS), ie, software for automated payments is being upgraded to enable the budget 2013-14 monthly payment rise from Rs 1000 to Rs 1200 and added that the first quarter instalment should be released by the 4th week of October. The spokesman added that all salaries to BISP employees have been cleared after the release of the first quarter BISP budget.
Well-placed sources within BISP on condition of anonymity told this correspondent that the upgradation of MIS would take time so the pending first quarter cash assistance is unlikely to be released by the end of October. Secretary BISP Haseeb Athar, who has recently assumed charge, is also holding charge of principal accounting officer, sources added,
The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) unearthed financial irregularities worth Rs 146.8 billion in the BISP in an audit report for the financial year 2011-12. It included disbursement of Rs 74.4 billion among beneficiaries without any guiding regulations and without approval of the board of BISP, and non-reconciliation of funds to the tune of Rs 65.1 billion provided to the Pakistan Post and commercial banks for disbursement among beneficiaries.
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