MIRPUR: Poverty is a curse and Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) is playing a commendable role in its alleviation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K).
This was stated by President Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Masood Khan while speaking at plenary conference during which BISP Progress Report 2014-16 was presented in the AJK capital city on Thursday.
The program has achieved admirable results for poverty reduction, primary enrollment and women empowerment, he added. Minister of State and Chairperson BISP MNA Marvi Memon, Deputy Speaker AJ&K Legislative Assembly Farooq Tahir, Minister for Works Chudary Aziz, Minister for Education Barrister Iftikhar Gillani, Minister for Health Dr. Najeeb Naqi, Minister Forests Mir Ali Akbar, Minister for Social Welfare and Women Development Ms. Raja Noreen Arif, Secretaries of various departments, representatives of NGOs and civil society, journalists and BISP beneficiaries attended the event.
Chairperson BISP paid tribute to Kashmiri struggle and reiterated support for oppressed Kashmiris in IHK. She stated that the combination of incumbent President and Prime Minister of AJ&K is perfect which would extend moral and political support to Kashmir cause at all forums till the issue gets resolved as per UN resolutions.
She also appreciated Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif for his superb advocacy of Kashmir issue at United Nations and all the other levels.
Memon stated that BISP has achieved many milestones in the last two years. 1,69,144 households of AJ&K receive BISP stipend on quarterly basis and 34,185 children have been enrolled in Mirpur, Bagh and Kotli under Waseela-e-Taleem (WeT) initiative. BISP has embarked upon Biometrics Verification System (BVS) for bringing transparency and efficiency in payment mechanism.
Pilot phase of new poverty survey to update National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER) includes Mirpur (AJ&K). The Chairperson reiterated that BISP is a unique program which supports Sustainable Development Goals of poverty reduction, zero hunger, quality education and gender equality. Primary objective of the program is to empower women while instilling values of empowerment, dignity and promoting interprovincial harmony. The AJK President distributed appreciation certificates among ten BISP beneficiaries from across the AJ&K for their struggle against poverty.
On the occasion, these beneficiaries stated that besides helping them financially, BISP has been pivotal in empowering them socially and economically.
