Poor counting: Planned Chakwal poverty survey expected to start in February

BISP to go door-to-door to find people living below the poverty line

ISLAMABAD: The social security net providing subsistence stipend for the people living the poverty line will start its survey in Chakwal next month to identify the poorest-of-the-poor eligible for the Rs4,834 quarterly payments.

Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) would launch the second phase of its poverty resurvey from Chakwal in the first week of February, said a statement on Wednesday.

A pilot project of a door-to-door survey will be held in union council Dudhial to evaluate the operational cycle of applications used for survey, BISP head Marvi Memon said. BISP Secretary Yasmeen Masood was also present.



She was talking at a training workshop organised for field enumeration teams that would be deployed for a poverty survey in Chakwal.

The workshop, organised by SEBCON was training field supervisors, enumerators and communication and mobilisation experts. They were being trained on important aspects of data collection, survey applications and social mobilisation strategy.

“Data collection is a sacred responsibility because, through authentic registration, betterment can be brought in the lives of the poorest-of-the-poor by making them part of social safety programmes,” Marvi said.

She also visited BISP beneficiary Zahida Parveen. Living in a mud house, Parveen manages her five kids and an ailing husband with the help of BISP stipend. In addition to the stipend, she earns her livelihood through a chips stall. She told the chairperson that she aims to build her house through savings from BISP stipend. Marvi appreciated her courage and said that BISP was always present to support her.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th, 2017.