ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Friday directed the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) to chalk out a comprehensive graduation strategy to enable and equip its beneficiaries earn their own livelihood.
Chairing a meeting on the BISP here at the PM Office, the prime minister also approved a proposal for setting up an endowment fund for BISP to ensure fiscal continuity in lean budgetary periods and said it would act as a catalyst in generating income for supporting various development schemes on the fund structure.
The meeting was attended by BISP Chairperson Marvi Memon, Secretary to Prime Minister Fawad Hasan Fawad, BISP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan and senior officers of the programme.
The prime minister was briefed on various initiatives being undertaken under the umbrella of BISP, including unconditional cash transfer programme and Waseela-i-Taleem programme that has so far benefited 5.6 million families and 1.8 million children, respectively.
The PM was informed that the international community, donors and development partners, including ADB, WB and DFID, have reposed confidence on the transparency and effectiveness of the programme in reaching out to the poorest of the poor and helping them break shackles of poverty.
The meeting was informed that after successful completion of pilot phase in four districts and door-to-door survey in ten other districts, the National Socio-economic Registry (NSER) survey would be rolled out in the remaining districts of the country in February 2018 and would be completed by May 2018.
