The National Assembly Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety (PA&SS) on Monday reviewed ongoing efforts to strengthen social protection through digitalisation, expand inclusion of beneficiaries and promote sustainable economic empowerment.
NA committee reviews digitalisation, sustainable approaches to poverty alleviation
ISLAMABAD, Aug 31 (APP): The National Assembly Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety (PA&SS) on Monday reviewed ongoing efforts to strengthen social protection through digitalisation, expand inclusion of beneficiaries and promote sustainable economic empowerment.
The 18th meeting of the committee, chaired by Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur, was held at the Trust for Voluntary Organization (TVO) office in Islamabad and discussed the ongoing digitalisation of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), including efforts to bring beneficiaries into the digital domain, improve access and address connectivity challenges in remote areas.
The measures are also aimed at strengthening transparency, controlling fraudulent activities and improving the efficiency of social protection delivery.
The meeting was attended by Syed Imran Ahmed Shah, Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety; Naveed Ahmed Sheikh, Secretary, Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety; Mian Asad Hayaudin, Chairman TVO Board of Directors; and Sahebzada Ghulam Mohyudin, CEO TVO, along with senior officials and other stakeholders.
The participants stressed the need to evolve poverty alleviation efforts beyond cash assistance towards skills development, entrepreneurship, economic empowerment and sustainable livelihoods, enabling beneficiaries to become self-reliant and contribute to economic activity in line with Pakistan’s commitments towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The meeting also provided an opportunity for TVO to present its journey as an indigenous, professionally managed and independent national grant-making institution supporting community-led development.
Briefing the committee, TVO CEO Sahebzada Ghulam Mohyudin highlighted how the organisation had evolved from a grant-making initiative into a sustainable institution by scaling its operations, investing in an endowment fund and developing social enterprises to strengthen its long-term sustainability.
He said, “Our experience has demonstrated that sustainable development is possible when communities are given the resources, skills and opportunity to lead their own solutions. TVO has built an indigenous and professionally managed model that combines grant-making with sustainability, enabling us to continue investing in community-led development.”
He said TVO had so far disbursed more than Rs1.3 billion in grants, implemented over 1,440 projects and benefited more than 10 million people across more than 100 districts, working with over 1,200 partners.
The committee appreciated TVO’s efforts to develop a sustainable institutional model and its contribution towards community-led development. The discussions emphasised the need for poverty alleviation initiatives to increasingly focus on economic opportunity, self-reliance and empowerment rather than dependence on financial assistance alone.
Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur, Chairman of the Standing Committee on PA&SS, stressed the need to strengthen social protection through technology.
“Digitalisation can make social protection more transparent, efficient and accessible. Our focus must remain on ensuring that deserving families are included and that technology ultimately improves the delivery of public services,” he said.
Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Syed Imran Ahmed Shah emphasised the importance of creating sustainable opportunities for beneficiaries.
“Poverty alleviation must increasingly focus on economic empowerment. Along with financial support, we need to equip people with skills, opportunities and pathways towards sustainable livelihoods and self-reliance,” he said.
Secretary, Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Naveed Ahmed Sheikh, highlighted the role of digital systems in improving the effectiveness and transparency of social protection programmes.
“Digitalisation is an important tool for improving outreach, transparency and efficiency. We are working to address access and connectivity challenges so that technology can benefit people even in underserved and remote areas,” he said.
Mian Asad Hayaudin, Chairman TVO Board of Directors, appreciated the committee’s focus on sustainable poverty reduction and highlighted the importance of institutions that could support communities beyond short-term interventions.
The meeting concluded with an emphasis on digitalisation, skills development, economic empowerment and sustainable livelihoods as key elements of a more effective and future-oriented approach to poverty alleviation.
