ISLAMABAD: Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has distributed over 68 billion to more than 2.7 million flood affectees. This was communicated to the Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety in its meeting held in the Constitution Room (old Committee Room 5), Parliament House, Islamabad under the Chairpersonship of Ms Saira Bano, MNA.
The Standing Committee was briefed regarding the operations and workings of BISP in flood-affected areas. The Committee was apprised that PKR 70 billion has been allocated for 2.8 million flood-affected families across the country. NDMA with the support of respective Provincial Governments notified the affected Tehsils/UCs of over 86 districts in Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan. BISP was mandated to identify the bottom 40% population of affected notified Tehsils with the help of National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER) data. BISP implemented the Flood response of disbursing one-time cash assistance of PKR 25,000/- per family residing in the affected areas. BISP has also launched an SMS service to identify flood-affected populations either not covered in NSER database or above the 40% population threshold and determine their eligibility. Over 10 million SMS were sent out of which 6 million had unique CNIC. The committee showed its concern regarding malpractices and scams in the disbursement of aid but was assured that aid is being distributed with minimal leakages and scams.
The meeting of the Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division was presided over by its Chairperson Ms Saira Bano, MNA and attended by Members National Assembly; Ch. Muhammad Hamid Hameed, Mr Zulfiqar Ali Behan, Syed Mehmood Shah, Ms Kiran Imran Dar, Syed Abrar Ali Shah and Malik Sohail Khan. The meeting was also attended by MD Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal, Mr Amir Fida Paracha; Secretary, Benazir Income Support Programme and other senior government officers.
