ISLAMABAD – Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Chairperson Farzana Raja said that the government under the BISP has distributed Rs 78 billion amongst four million deserving families.
Talking to a private news channel, she said the target of incorporating 0.7 million poor families would be achieved by June 2011.
She said in order to ensure poor families receive facilitates as soon as possible, a poverty survey is being conducted throughout the country and NADRA is completing the data entry process.
To a question, she said that the BISP did not merely provide monetary support to the poor but also effectively helped plan their future, enabling them to earn livelihood at their own, receive education, health and life insurance.
She said BISP took another initiative of the Waseela-e-Rozgar that targeted 150,000 people in the first year of its launch from Charsadda and under this component of the BISP the beneficiaries would receive vocational and technical education.
Since its launch in October 2008, the BISP has distributed Rs 70 billion in cash amongst the poor, Rs 4.5 billion to flood-hit families, while a Rs 3.5 billion grant was spent under the Waseela-e-Haq, Smart Card, Mobile Phone Banking (MPB) and for insurance of BISP beneficiaries, she added.
She said the democratic government was fighting poverty and terrorism simultaneously. Therefore, those who are bent upon criticising positive steps of the government should reconsider their negative attitude and approach, she added.
Farzana Raja said that BISP had equipped poor masses of the country with modern technology through mobile phone banking and Benazir Smart Card.
She said the present democratic government was striving to make Pakistan a social welfare state so the government will keep serving masses and also complete its constitutional term, she added.
Farzana said that BISP is making significant contribution to improving the living standards of marginalised segments of society.
