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ISLAMABAD, May 27 (APP): The National Assembly Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety in its ninth meeting held here Tuesday reviewed the progress on poverty alleviation programs and the challenges hindering smooth service delivery.
Chaired by Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur, the session focused on implementation timelines, inter-institutional coordination, and critical gaps in operational capacity.
The Committee identified the absence of defined timelines in the sub-committee’s report as a major obstacle to project execution and decided to summon the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan and heads of private banks in the next meeting to set clear deadlines.
Delays in a key pilot project were attributed to system integration issues, with completion expected by July.
On social welfare initiatives, the Committee evaluated the Prime Minister’s Ramadan Relief Package, which reached 2.7 million of the 3.5 million eligible families through CNIC-based biometric verification and digital wallet disbursements.
While the State Bank’s regulatory framework was commended for secure fund transfers, the Committee raised concern over 1,100 unfilled vacancies at BISP due to the ongoing federal hiring freeze. The Ministry of Finance was urged to resolve the issue promptly to avoid disruption in services.
The Committee also instructed the Ministry to provide a detailed report on all foreign-funded initiatives, despite there being no active USAID-linked projects at present. Stressing the need for a national poverty reduction framework, the members called for integration of federal, provincial, and NGO efforts while ensuring adherence to national security protocols.
With less than 1,000 of 18,000 NGOs officially registered, the Committee called for enhanced oversight to prevent fund misuse.
On the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund’s (PPAF) Memorandum of Association, recommendations were deferred pending judicial review, but a copy of the summary was ordered to be submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office for Committee review.
The meeting concluded with a consensus on establishing clear timelines, fostering collaboration across ministries, and observing judicial due process in all pending matters. The session was attended by members of the National Assembly and ministry officials.