While expressing serious reservations over Benazir Income Support Program's (BISP) earlier Poverty Scorecard Survey, a parliamentary panel has directed the BISP to focus less-developed areas of the country in the ongoing survey.
The Senate Functional Committee on Problems of Less Developed Areas, which met here on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Senator Usman Kakar, observed that women of remote areas of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh are not getting any amount from BISP despite being the most deserving for such financial support.
The committee was briefed on overall performance, work and poverty alleviation activities of the BISP during past three years in the less-developed districts of the country and erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The committee was also briefed in detail about mechanism for declaring a family entitled to financial aid under BISP.
The committee directed all the concerned to ensure enrollment of each and every deserving woman of less-developed areas in the poverty survey.
Briefing the committee, Secretary BISP Omer Hamid Khan said billion of rupees were given to the benefices of less-developed areas during the last three years. He further said that the BISP has signed memoranda of understanding with 15 local and global organizations to reduce poverty in the country. Waseela-e-Taleem Program is launched to sponsor the educational expenses of 4 to 12 years children, and under the program the BISP has targeted to provide primary education to 2.5 million students. This program was introduced in 2012 and so far 2.3 million children have been enrolled with Rs 8 billion financial expenditures.
The secretary BISP further said that a program was also launched with the cooperation of global organization to educate the poor women and under the program, women education is sponsored from primary to gradation level.
The BISP is facing problems in conducting surveys due to the shortage of funds. Total sanctioned posts in BISP are 4,133 out of which 2,047 posts are still vacant across the country and 347 peoples have been working on deputation for years.
Senator Usman recommended the BISP to appoint people of Balochistan on senior positions. The committee suggested that BISP should fulfill the vacant post as soon as possible. The committee recommended that BISP should include representation from each province in its board of governors.
To a question, the secretary BISP said that 90 percent funds are provided by the government of Pakistan while 10 percent by the World Bank and Asian Development Fund. He said that during the fiscal year 2015-2016, over Rs 67 billion were distributed among 3.6 million beneficiaries, while in 2016-2017, Rs 69 billion were distributed among 3.7 million beneficiaries and during the financial year 2017-2018, Rs 66 billion were distributed among 3.5 beneficiaries.
The meeting was attended by Senators Molvi Faiz Muhammad, Gianchand, Quratul Ain Marri, Fida Muhammad, Muhammad Ayub, Haji Momin Khan Afridi, Kalsoom Perveen and Sardar Muhammad Azam Khan Musakhel, besides officials of Benazir Income Support Program.