ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Friday approved a proposal for setting up of the Endowment Fund for the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) that would ensure fiscal continuity in lean budgetary periods and would act as a catalyst in generating income for supporting various development schemes on fund structure.
While presiding over a meeting on BISP at Prime Minister’s Office in Islamabad, the prime minister also directed BISP to chalk out a comprehensive graduation strategy enabling and equipping the cash grantees to earn their own livelihoods.
The meeting was attended by Chairperson BISP Marvi Memon, Secretary to Prime Minister Fawad Hasan Fawad, Secretary BISP Omar Hamid Khan and senior officers of BISP.
The prime minister was briefed about various initiatives being undertaken under the umbrella of BISP including the unconditional cash transfer program and the Waseela-i-Taleem program that has so far benefited 5.6 million families and 1.8 million children respectively.
Khaqan Abbasi was informed that the international community, donors and developmental partners including Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank and Department for International Development (DFID) have reposed confidence on the transparency and effectiveness of the program in reaching out to the poorest of the poor and helping them break shackles of poverty.
The meeting was informed that after successful completion of Pilot Phase in four districts and door-to-door survey in 10 districts, National Socio-economic Registry (NSER) survey would be rolled out in the remaining districts of the Country in February 2018 and would be completed by May 2018.
