ISLAMABAD, (MILLAT+APP): President Mamnoon Hussain
Tuesday urged expension of the Benazir Income Support Programme
to reach out to the poor who have not yet been reached and take
measures for self-dependence of those already benefitting from
it.
Addressing the launch of BISP Impact Evaluation Report
here, the president said in order to make the poor self-
reliant, the BISP will have to conduct training sessions in
backward areas.
The impact evaluation was carried out by a third party
Oxford Policy Management that highlighted the positive
outcomes of the South Asia’s largest social safety net besides
pointing out the challenges for their onward redressal in the
future.
Chairperson BISP Marvi Memon, Special Assistant to PM
Khawaja Zaheer Ahmed, Secretary Yasmeen Masood,
parliamentarians and representatives of development sector and
BISP officers attended the event.
The impact report revealed that BISP has reduced the
poverty rate by seven percent points and was leading to an
increase in per adult equivalent monthly food consumption by
Rs69 driven by higher quality of protein.
The programme, now serving around 5.4 million women
through Rs 115 billion fund, has led to decrease in
deprivation against indicators of living standards among
beneficiaries.
President Mamnoon appreciated the BISP for having a
critical eye on its performance and expressed pleasure over
the increasing reach of the programme to the poor of far flung
areas.
He hoped that a successful execution of the programme
would lead to the swift alleviation of the poverty and make
the beneficiaries self-reliant enabling them to play their
role in national development.
President Mamnoon said BISP had not only become the
largest social welfare programme of South Asia but was also
counted among the world’s largest and most effective
programmes.
Quoting the report, the president observed that
consequent to the government’s sincere efforts, the number of
beneficiary families had increased from 1.7 million to 5.5
million with the government’s budgetary allocation also
increasing from Rs16 billion to Rs115 billion.