Monitoring Desk: The World Food Programme (WFP) has raised serious questions about the Benazir Nashonuma Programme (BNP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to financial corruption and misappropriations.
Financial irregularities, misappropriation of funds, and administrative corruption in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are not news but rather a new normal since PTI has been ruling the province. Now malpractices of the Ali Amin Gandapur government caused an embarrassment Benazir Nashonuma Programme (BNP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa works under the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP).
According to a media report titled ‘Serious irregularities’ detected in Benazir Nashunama Programme in KP, the WFP has demanded an independent financial audit to identify the extent of misappropriations and ensure accountability and now the program will run under NGOs to ensure better accountability and transparency.
The BNP aims to improve maternal and child health by providing essential services and nutritional food supplements to pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under five.
The media report indicates that an irregularity of Rs799 million in the salaries of staff working on the project was detected as workers and staff have not been provided with payment slips detailing salary deductions. The department has charged both the WFP and BISP the full cost of these payments. These irregularities amount to approximately Rs799 million, representing 30 percent of the estimated Rs2,664 million BNP funds transferred from the WFP to the KP.
Moreover, the Provincial Nutrition Cell, under the BNP annual work plan, is claiming substantial monetary reimbursements from the WFP for monitoring BNP activities. However, the Cell itself is responsible for implementing these projects, presenting a clear conflict of interest. There is no normal complaint and feedback mechanism and complaints are reviewed by the Nutrition Cell itself. The internal governance checks (GC) revealed the existence of 11 ghost employees within the BNP in KP. These ghost positions have primarily been linked to Peshawar district CNIC numbers, with 38 individuals reportedly working in other districts without proper recruitment procedures. Incidents of illegal selling of BNP-provided specialized nutritious food have been reported in several districts, including Nowshera, Bajaur, and Peshawar (specifically in Peepal Mandi wholesale bazaar). However, no action has been taken against the responsible staff.
