BISP distributed Rs 714 billion in ten years: Sania Nishtar

ISLAMABAD, Dec 12 (APP):Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) Dr. Sania Nishtar on Thursday informed the Senate standing on poverty alleviation that Benazir Income Support programme (BISP) distributed Rs 714 billion cash during last ten years.

She said that monthly stipend system had been shifted from old card system to biometric verification to eliminate the corruption from the BISP programme.

She informed the committee that one hundred and fifty thousand people were registered with BISP and their monthly stipend had been increased from Rs 3000 to Rs 5000.

She said under the “Waseela-e-Taleem” programme of BISP, Rs 750 were paid to the mother of child who enrolled them in the school and Rs 750 were in addition for ensuring their attendance in the school.

Dr. Sania Nishtar further informed the committee that Rs 150 billion had been allocated in the budget for BISP out of which Rs 120 billion were for cash disbursement.

To make the cash transaction easier and more transparent, two commercial banks had been engaged to pay the monthly stipend after biometric verification, said Dr. Sania adding that BISP saved Rs 2 billion with entering into an agreement with the banks.

She said National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) was charging 6 percent on transaction cost due to which BISP engaged two commercial banks after competitive process who were charging 2 percent transaction cost form BISP.

She further informed the committee that under the old survey, wrong and undeserving people were registered with BISP who were being now eliminated from fresh survey and from the new deserving people would be registered from March next year.

About “langer” programme, Dr. Sania apprised the committee that total 112 “Langer” were being run in across the country at “Zero” cost as the government only provided land for temporary structure whereas the food was provided by the NGOs to 700 people every day.

She said the government was providing interest free short-term loan from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 to 80 thousand people to help the needy youth to come out of poverty cycle.

The committee appreciated Dr. Sania Nishtar for her great job while accepting her invitation to arrange next meeting of the committee in BISP control room.