ISLAMABAD: The Board of Directors (BoD) of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) on Thursday approved the policy for inclusion of members of transgender community as beneficiaries of the Kafalat Programme that would make them eligible for financial assistance provided by the federal government to deserving persons under the cash disbursement initiative.

The decision is part of the BISP’s structural reforms.

Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Shazia Marri presided the BISP BoD meeting in her official capacity as the board’s Chairperson.

The BoD asked National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to simplify a system for updating the CNICs (computerised national identity cards) of transgender community members.

The meeting also approved a new payment system for BISP that envisages allowing the beneficiaries to receive funds directly through banks of their own choice—in a bid to ensure a transparent cash disbursement mechanism.

In addition, the BoD meeting approved the autonomous functioning of BISP’s Cyber Crime Section and up-gradation of five districts of Balochistan that have a large number of BISP beneficiaries.

The board meeting also approved BISP structural reforms for Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).

The meeting further approved assistance package for employees who lose their lives during BISP service – including a one-time grant of two million rupees for the employees in grades 1 to 8, Rs 5 million for the employees in grades 9 to 16 and Rs 7 million for officers in grade 17 and above.

The board referred the proposal of revision of pay and allowances of BISP employees to the Finance and Human Resource committees.

The meeting also sanctioned the contribution of provident fund, benevolent fund and group insurance policy for the regular employees of BISP.

The chairperson BISP informed the meeting that Rs 70 billion were disbursed among 2.8 million flood-affected families through BISP.

She termed the approval of policy regarding members of transgender community as a “landmark achievement.”

Marri further said that organisations like, BISP, NADRA and partner banks worked “tremendously to extend financial support to flood affectees in a short span of time.”

Secretary BISP Yusuf Khan and other senior government officials concerned attended the BISP BoD meeting.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022