ISLAMBAD:
The Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) is yet to approve its service structure despite having been in operation for 18 years, and employees ranging from directors to drivers are still serving on deputations, officials told the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Security on Thursday.
The committee directed BISP to submit a summary to the Ministry of Finance seeking approval for permanent recruitment, while directing the program’s six partner banks to increase the number of paying agents to improve service delivery.
The committee, chaired by Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur, questioned why BISP, set up in 2008, had not hired regular employees.
“From the directors to the drivers, everyone is on duty. Why haven’t regular employees been appointed?” Talpur asked during the meeting.
An additional secretary told the committee that all staff members were currently on deputy duty and the matter had already been referred to the Finance Ministry. He added that the organization’s workload has expanded considerably and that not even authorized positions have been filled.
Talpur called the situation a “crisis” and pressured officials to resolve the issue.
BISP secretary Amir Ali Ahmed said the organization was prepared to send a summary to the Finance Ministry’s austerity committee if ordered by the parliamentary panel.
“If full approval is not obtained, at least we can make the organization work,” he said.
Subsequently, the committee directed BISP to submit the proposal for permanent recruitment to the Ministry of Finance.
Ahmed informed lawmakers that BISP would transition to a fully digital payment system starting July 16.
Under the new mechanism, beneficiaries will be able to receive payments through bank accounts as well as digital financial services, including Easypaisa, JazzCash and UPaisa. The measure aims to eliminate long queues at payment centers by transferring funds directly to beneficiaries’ accounts, allowing them to withdraw money when it suits them.
Association
The Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), in collaboration with United Nations agencies, has extended the Benazir Nashonuma Program for another three years to protect an additional 3.3 million children and women from malnutrition across Pakistan.
The three-year extension was jointly announced by BISP, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), reaffirming their commitment to improving maternal and child nutrition and reducing malnutrition among vulnerable communities across the country.
