Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Shazia Marri, presided over a meeting on Wednesday to review the progress of the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP).
During the meeting, the Chairperson BISP was informed that the government has increased the budgetary allocation of the program from Rs 250 billion to Rs 400 billion, representing a 60% increase in this year’s budget.
The Secretary BISP, Yusuf Khan, and DGs of the program briefed the minister on the progress of various initiatives. The meeting was informed that Rs 70 billion were disbursed among 2.8 million flood-affected families at the rate of Rs 25,000 per family. Additionally, Rs 16.7 billion were given as fuel subsidy among 81 lakh families at the rate of Rs 2000 per family.
The Government has also increased Benazir Kafaalat funds by 25% for the deserving people of the country. The quarterly stipends have been enhanced from Rs 7000 to Rs 8750. Currently, Rs 8500 is being disbursed against the quarterly installment of January to March, while Rs 9000 will be paid for the installment of April to June. The number of beneficiaries of Benazir Kafaalat has also been increased from 7.6 million households to 9 million households.
The minister was further informed that the total number of students under the Benazir Taleemi Wazaif Program has reached 7.1 million. Regarding the Benazir Nashonuma Program, Shazia Marri was informed that the initiative has been expanded to every district of the country under which 510,000 pregnant and lactating mothers and newborn babies across Pakistan are receiving benefits through 472 Nashonuma Centers. It was also informed that 92,000 students have been awarded scholarships under another initiative called Benazir Scholarships for undergraduate studies.
Ms. Shazia Marri was further apprised that Transgender Person have also been included in the Benazir Kafaalat Program. The meeting also discussed the latest developments on the new Dynamic Registry initiative launched on 25th February 2023. This initiative aims to update the existing beneficiary data and enable new/eligible families to be registered in the program free of cost.
Overall, the meeting highlighted the progress of BISP initiatives and the government’s commitment to supporting vulnerable communities in Pakistan. The increase in budgetary allocation for the program and expansion of various initiatives will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the lives of millions of people across the country.
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