ISLAMABAD:In a news conference on Friday, Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Security Shazia Marri announced that the budget for the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) was increased from 235 billion to 400 billion rupees. The BISP is a government program designed to alleviate poverty by providing financial assistance to the most vulnerable and needy families in Pakistan.

During the conference, Ms. Marri revealed that 9 million families were currently enrolled in the program, and the stipend provided under BISP was increased from Rs7,000 to Rs8,750. She also noted that the number of families receiving Benazir Education Wazif (scholarship) increased from 2.6 million to 7.1 million. Additionally, the Benazir Development program was expanded across Pakistan, with 474 facilitation centers established nationwide.

Ms. Marri expressed concern about the inflation faced by the poor and middle-class due to the current government’s policies, and highlighted that Rs70 billion was distributed to 2.8 million flood-affected families in the country. She also announced that the transgender community was included in the BISP program, and encouraged them to register themselves at the tehsil offices of the BISP. The increased budget and expanded coverage of the BISP program would provide much-needed support to millions of families across the country.