Jiyalas abound in poverty reduction schemes

Most agree that bulk of beneficiaries do not deserve it and ones who really deserve the money are not beneficiaries.

GILGIT: You have to be a PPP jiyala to get government money – be it poverty reduction fund or even payment against flood-related damages – in Gilgit-Baltistan.

This was the consensus among a broad swath of people contacted by this correspondent in a bid to measure the progress of community support funds like the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) or Waseelaye Haq.

As many as 29,000 families in the region have been collecting money under the BISP since the scheme was launched last year without a preliminary assessment of potential beneficiaries.

During interactions with various government officials, NGO workers, politicians, and other stakeholders, most agreed that the bulk of the beneficiaries do not deserve it, and the ones really deserving the money are not beneficiaries.

Officials, however, insisted that other people will be provided money under the programme after the completion of a survey.

Many people other than PPP office-bearers and activists were given forms for distribution among the poor people in their constituencies when the scheme was launched last year.

“I personally distributed about 500 BISP forms among needy people in my constituency, but over 90 per cent of the deserving people have not received any response,” said an embarrassed Hafizur Rehman, regional president of PML-N. Interestingly, an overwhelming majority of forms distributed via PPP members were accommodated and those ‘destitute people’ are now being paid.

“The process is not that transparent,” said a source who has closely monitored the BISP. “You will find more beneficiaries in areas with a strong PPP affiliation, but too few in areas lacking a PPP vote bank,” he said, adding that areas like Amphary, Majini Muhalla, Khomer, Nagar, and Nagral are some of the examples where beneficiaries are in abundance.

Similarly, other opposition party leaders too have voiced concern over blatant inequalities in the process.

PML-Q lawmaker Mirza Hussain from Hunza-Nagar district said none of his constituents were included among the beneficiaries, saying that to be a recipient, “you have to be involved in jiyalaism”. Muzaffar Rallay, another PML-Q politician from Astore said that the situation in his district was not any different.

The situation in matters of Waseelaye Haq scheme is also as bad: Most of the people interviewed by this correspondent said that beneficiaries of the scheme were none other than the ones already getting paid through the BISP.

BISP officials told The Express Tribune that a draw will be held to select 100 people in Gilgit-Baltistan under this scheme.

The situation was the same for flood compensation: people who have not been affected by floods are being paid by listing them in the category of ‘affectees’.

“In Gilgit town alone, as much as Rs4.6 million have been distributed among people who have in no way been affected by floods,”

It is also learnt that the BISP headquarters has assigned its regional office an almost impossible task: it has been ordered to provide a list of flood survivors within three days.

Because it wasn’t possible to furnish details on such short notice, the BISP officials have, in consultation with the region’s home secretary, forwarded names of people already receiving money under the programme.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 24^th, 2010.