BISP cash payment shifts to banks’ retail POS

Decision taken in view of issues faced by banking system, uncertain weather conditions

ISLAMABAD:

Cash disbursement to the beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) will be made through retail point of sale of banks from Tuesday (today) while special campsites will be closed, programme’s spokesperson has said.

The decision has been taken in view of the issues faced by the banking system and uncertain weather conditions.
The BISP spokesperson maintained that the beneficiaries could receive money from the nearest retailers designated by HBL or Bank Alfalah.

Payments will be made till the evening of June 28 and will restart after Eidul Azha holidays from July 3.

Around Rs33 billion has been distributed among 3.629 million deserving women during this quarter, the spokesperson said.

As the country sweltered with summer temperatures due to the current heatwave, BISP, which had temporarily suspended cash disbursement to beneficiaries for two days, restarted making payments from Monday.

The spokesperson observed that nine million households across the country were given Rs9,000 each on a quarterly basis.

Payments are also being made to mothers of children registered for BISP education initiative.

On the directives of Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety and BISP Chairperson Shazia Marri, monitoring teams are working to ensure transparency in cash disbursement.

A day earlier, the minister stated that BISP had become an agent of change in Pakistan.

She was talking to a delegation of Yemen’s Social Fund for Development Sunday.

A 23-member delegation of Yemen’s Social Fund for Development was on a five-day visit to Pakistan to gain insights into the social protection model of the BISP.

Shazia noted that BISP was an effective vehicle of social safety for low-income segments of society that was supporting women family heads by providing directed cash assistance to them.

This is the best and most practical method of women’s empowerment and their financial autonomy, she said.

Underscoring the success of the social safety net, Shazia said the survey and registration process associated with BISP had encouraged women with low-income hous¬ehold and living in remote areas to register themselves and their families with Nadra.

She also spoke about Benazir Taleemi Wazaif and said because of this incentive, enrollment in primary and secondary schools had increased.