ISLAMABAD, Feb 19 (APP):The National Assembly Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Thursday undertook a comprehensive review of administrative, financial and institutional governance of the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, directing authorities to ensure transparency in funding mechanisms and performance oversight of its subsidiary organizations.
The 16th meeting of the Committee was held at the Parliament House under the chairmanship of Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur.
The Additional Secretary of the Ministry briefed the Committee that none of the Ministry’s attached or subsidiary organizations had been allocated projects under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for the fiscal year 2026–27.
She presented a detailed overview of the Ministry’s legal and administrative framework, including governing laws, rules and ordinances regulating its operations.
The Ministry, established in 2022 after its separation from the Statistics Division, oversees major social protection institutions including the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM), Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), and the Trust for Voluntary Organizations (TVO).
Responding to questions regarding the financial sustainability and operational structure of TVO, its representative informed the Committee that the organization continues to operate through returns generated from an endowment created from an initial USAID grant of eight million US dollars, equivalent to approximately Rs520 million at the time, transferred by the Government of Pakistan.
The organization supplements these resources through support from international partners including UNICEF and other donor agencies.
The Committee was informed that TVO primarily works to strengthen local and rural non-governmental organizations engaged in women and child welfare through initiatives in health, education and poverty reduction, providing both technical and financial assistance without receiving additional government funding beyond the original seed capital.
Expressing the need for financial scrutiny, the Committee directed the Ministry to submit complete funding and expenditure details of TVO for the past two years, including profit and loss statements.
The members also sought specific information regarding any projects or activities undertaken in Dera Ismail Khan district.
The Committee further asked the Ministry to provide a detailed status report on the Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and the Centre for Rural Economy in the next meeting.
In addition, the Committee sought comprehensive details of government officials serving in subsidiary departments while on extraordinary leave (EOL), including their parent departments, duration of leave, present assignments and pay scales.
A separate briefing on the Pakistan Labour Council was also requested for the forthcoming session.
Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Syed Imran Ahmed Shah informed the Committee that Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal primarily operates through government endowment funds, while Zakat collections are administered through banking channels without direct handling by the Ministry.
Highlighting PBM’s outreach, the Minister said the organization maintains representation in every district of the country as well as District Headquarters Hospitals (DHQs) to facilitate access to scholarships, medical assistance and emergency financial support for deserving beneficiaries.
He also appreciated the performance of the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund, particularly its development initiatives in Balochistan.
The Committee took notice of bureaucratic delays in establishing Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal’s Women Empowerment Centre in Muzaffargarh district, upon which the Minister assured immediate intervention to expedite the process.
The agenda item number five relating to the Benazir Income Support Programme was deferred to the next meeting.
The meeting was attended by Members of the National Assembly Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur, Nawabzada Iftikhar Ahmed Khan Babar, Makhdoom Tahir Rashid Ud Din, Mohammad Ilyas Choudhary, Naima Kanwal and Huma Akhtar Chughtai. Federal Minister Syed Imran Ahmed Shah, senior officials of the Ministry and TVO were also present, while Managing Director Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal Senator Capt. Shaheen Khalid Butt and PBM officials joined the meeting via Zoom link.