Drought victims in Tharparkar BISP, WFP initiate programme to alleviate food insecurity

The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and the United Nations World Food Programme, Pakistan (WFP) supported by Australian Government, have launched an initiative Saturday to alleviate the food insecurity and associated vulnerabilities of 428,400 drought victims in Tharparkar district of Sindh Province.
Federal Secretary BISP Omar Hamid Khan was addressing to a launching ceremony at Banzir Cultural Complex Mithi. He further said that this initiative will provide humanitarian cash transfers to address household food deficits that have arisen as a result of failed crops and reduced productivity of livestock. The intervention is part of the on-going efforts to strengthen the shock-responsive capacities of BISP, Pakistan's largest safety net.
As an immediate food consumption support, WFP will supplement BISP's unconditional cash transfers with a humanitarian top-up of PKR 1,000 each for eligible households. A total of 63,000 poorest of poor families in Tharparkar will receive a humanitarian top-up alongside BISP's UCT programme's routine monthly cash-transfer of RS 1650/- Secretary BISP Omar Hamid Khan, termed the partnership as "Highly valued", to address the growing issue of stunted growth and malnutrition in Pakistan, and also emphasized the initiative's alignment with Federal Government priority list.
BISP and WFP will maintain close coordination with the local authorities to ensure that the local markets remain responsive to the needs of affected populations and the injection of additional cash does not result in an unprecedented surge in the prices of food and other essential items in the locale.
Speaking on the occasion, WFP Country Director Finbarr Curran and Representative in Pakistan reiterated his support to assist the most vulnerable communities in the country. 'Cash-based humanitarian response is one of the most cost-effective means of assisting disaster-affected populations, especially when local markets are responsive. As the largest safety net in the country, BISP presents an excellent platform to empower people to manage their household food and non-food consumption in the times of emergencies. WFP remains committed to strengthen BISP's capacities to anticipate and respond to such situations in a timely and effective manner' he said. He also thanked to the Government of Australia for supporting WFP and Government of Pakistan to respond to emergencies and reaching the most vulnerable populations during and after the emergencies.
"Drought can have devastating consequences for communities particularly those struggling with poverty. The Australian Government supports the Sustainable Development Goal 2 - Zero Hunger, and is proud to assist the Government of Sindh in its efforts," said the Deputy Head of Mission, Australian High Commission Brek Batley and Head of Nutrition, country office WFP.