Shazia Marri presides over the 58th Benazir Income Support Programme Board meeting

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI, Mar 21 (SABAH): The Board of Benazir Income Support Programme in its 58th Board meeting, gave approval to pilot a new Payment model under which the Benazir Kafaalat beneficiaries would be able to receive funds through bank accounts. The cash assistance will be transferred directly to them through their bank accounts. The pilot of this new payment model will be introduced in four selected districts of the country. After the success of pilot, beneficiaries all over the country would be able to open-up their accounts in banks of their choice.

The Board meeting chaired by Ms. Shazia Atta Marri, Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation & Social Safety and Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme was held in the committee room of Sindh Assembly Building in Karachi on Monday. BISP Board also approved the proposal of indexation committee to increase the stipend given to BISP beneficiaries by 25 percent. After the increase, the quarterly stipend will increase from 7000 to 8750 rupees.

The Board also gave approval to a proposal of using mobile units for registration of people in Balochistan and other remote areas where it was difficult for people to reach BISP centres. Members were of the view that Balochistan needed special attention given the geographical aspect of the province. Chairman NADRA, who was also attending the meeting, was asked to take extra efforts to help people make CNIC cards in remote areas of Balochistan.

BISP Board was informed that under the new process of dynamic registration of National Social Economic Registry (NSER), 575 centers has already been working in the BISP Tehsil offices throughout the country. Further, the BISP Board approved an internship programme for the fresh graduates of universities intending to gain experience through working with Benazir Income Support Programme.

The board members Dr. Ashfaq Hassan Khan, Dr. Qaisar Bengali, Ms. Sania Riffat, Secretary BISP Yusuf Khan and Secretary PA&SS, Ghufran Memon were present in the meeting, while board members Haris Ghazdar, Chairman NADRA, Tariq Malik, Additional Secretary Economic Affairs Division, Ms. Samar Ihsan, and Additional Secretary Finance (Expenditure) Aamer Mahmood attended the meeting via Zoom-link. DG. NSER/CCT Naveed Akbar presented the agenda items before the board meeting.