For the first time in the country's history, the Pakistan People's Party-led coalition government is all set to launch National Survey on Poverty in March, Federal Minister and Incharge of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Farzana Raja said.
Briefing the members of Punjab assembly as well as the media on BISP after the Prime Minister's announcement of including the provincial Parliamentarians in the Programme, she said the survey would be conducted in 15 highly poverty-stricken districts of all the four provinces including Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
'The survey is being started with the co-operation of donors and active participation of state organs including Federal Bureau of Statistics, Poverty Alleviation Fund and Rural Support Programme,' she added.
According to her, the survey will be completed by the end of this year and it would help identify the poverty level as well as the unemployment graph in the country, she added. 'This survey would be held on census pattern and it would be ensured that the data is authentic and reliable,' she said.
Farzana further said that the government is focussing on poverty alleviation in the country and is taking pragmatic steps to reduce the poverty graph. She further stated that targeted subsidy is being extended to the poor people through the BISP for which a transparent system has been put in place.