ISLAMABAD: The government has released Rs21.3 billion to as many as 4.7 million deserving families through Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) for the second quarter of the current financial year.
Meanwhile, the government has missed the BISP cash transfer target, agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as disbursements stand 13.5% lower in the first half, depriving about 366,000 families of social security coverage.
Against the target of distributing Rs48.6 billion among over five million families, the government could dole out Rs42 billion among 4.7 million families from July to December of the current fiscal year, according to data compiled by the BISP Secretariat.
For the entire fiscal year 2014-15, Rs97.2 billion has been allocated for the BISP to be disbursed among 5.3 million families by June next year.
Moreover, payment for over 22,000 children at the rate of Rs200 per month each has also been released for Waseela-i-Taleem initiative of the programme.
BISP Secretary Shabbir Ahmed said that every effort had been made to ensure transparency and efficiency in the disbursement process.
The BISP has expedited its activities in the field, with over 70,000 beneficiaries getting fresh debit cards for receiving the quarterly cash payment. He said the Waseela-i-Taleem initiative would be further extended to 32 districts in the country. He said the initiative was looking to enrol 1.5m children in primary schools in the next two years.
The BISP secretary said that the programme was looking for improving the quality of data of 27m households, collected through a poverty survey.
He said the necessity of revisiting the National Socio-Economic Registry was being assessed and best international practices would be kept in mind while taking any decision in this regard.
