NA apprised of Rs24b irregularities in BISP

Financial irregularities amounting to Rs24 billion have been uncovered in the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), with more than 140,000 government employees and pensioners found to have received funds intended for deserving families, while recoveries have amounted to just Rs710 million.

According to documents presented by the Poverty Alleviation Ministry in the National Assembly, 140,488 government employees received payments from the programme despite being ineligible. The irregularities were identified in 2019, but payments continued for six years.

During the fiscal year 2019-20, government employees and pensioners received Rs23.13 billion, while a further Rs900 million was paid out even after government employees had been identified. Official records show that more than 12,000 employees received Rs146.7 million in 2020-21.

The documents further reveal that 2,447 government employees received funds in 2021-22, followed by 2,235 in 2022-23 and 12,078 in 2024-25. The findings also revealed that 236 BISP employees were among those who received funds earmarked for poor beneficiaries.

Against the total irregularities of Rs24 billion, recoveries have reached only Rs710 million. The FIA recovered Rs540 million, while other government departments recovered Rs145 million. BISP recovered a further Rs21.5 million from its own employees.

The records of employees allegedly involved in the irregularities have been forwarded to the relevant departments for further action. Authorities have also decided to scrutinise the records of more than 600,000 government employees and pensioners.

The disclosures have brought renewed attention to the programme's oversight mechanisms, particularly its failure to prevent payments from continuing after the irregularities were identified and the limited amount recovered against the reported sum.