BISP officers involved in scam terminated

FIA will investigate 2,700 govt employees illegally drawing money from fund

ISLAMABAD:

Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) officers involved in a scam of drawing money from the programme on their own and in the name of their spouses have been terminated from the services while a complete list of 2,700 government employees has been shared with Federal Investigative Authority (FIA) to initiate investigation in the case.

This was told in a meeting of Senate Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety held on Friday.

On the inquiry of the fraudulent messages being circulated in the name of BISP, the committee was told 3,000 phone numbers have been blocked, 440 FIRs have been filed and vigilance exercises were being conducted under a cybercrime group in coordination with FIA and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

The members of the committee appreciated the initiatives taken by the ministry and the department in this regard.

The committee was also told about grant programmee and loan programme under Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) for people below poverty line. It was mentioned the fund would be disbursed through indicators of poverty, human development and food scarcity.

Presently, 38,000 schemes of PPAF are underway in different areas across the country, told the meeting.

Under another project of Assets Transfer programme, conducted in close coordination between PPAF and BISP, 180,000 people would be allotted assets to run their livelihood while money has been disbursed to 25,000 beneficiaries, the committee was told.

The meeting was apprised about updates of another project providing interest free loans to the needy. The programme has so far catered the needs of 1.3 million people among which 54 per cent loans were disbursed to women in 110 districts across the country. Under the project, 1,100 loan centres have been established for the ease of people.