Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Faisal Karim Kundi, on Tuesday said the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) is the largest social safety net aimed at welfare of the poor in Pakistan.
He emphasized the need to establish BISP offices at the Union Council level to enhance public services. He suggested deploying mobile registration vans in remote areas of KP to ensure that deserving women are registered in the program.
The KP Governor expressed these views during a meeting with Senator Rubina Khalid at the BISP headquarters in Islamabad, where he received a detailed briefing on ongoing and newly introduced initiatives under the program.
During the briefing, Senator Rubina Khalid informed the Governor that following the special instructions of the President Asif Ali Zardari, a new banking model has been introduced to ensure the transparent disbursement of funds to deserving women.
She explained that BISP management is consulting with the State Bank of Pakistan to minimize human intervention, ensuring that women receive their funds without any deductions. Senator Khalid mentioned that savings accounts are being opened for deserving women through the BISP Savings Scheme, allowing aid money to be directly transferred into their accounts.
She also highlighted a new initiative under BISP, which involves a skill development program for the deserving women and their family members. This program will provide training in technical skills according to international standards, enabling them to improve their quality of life and contribute to the country’s economy.
She said this initiative would help them graduate from poverty, thereby allowing more deserving families to benefit from the program. Governor Kundi highly appreciated the skill development program and noted that it would promote human resource development, providing employment opportunities abroad for those who complete the training.
He also emphasized the importance of an awareness campaign to highlight the positive impact of the Benazir Income Support Programme.