LAHORE, Pakistan: State Minister and Chairperson BISP, Marvi Memon urged the corporate sector to join hands with the government in poverty elimination programme as it is impossible for any government to do so without the involvement of wealthy people.
Addressing the 4th Annual Regional Event of South Asia Middle East Conclave held at a local hotel here on Thursday, she said the PML-N government was taking several steps for the elimination of poverty as it had raised budget of the BISP from Rs 40 billion to Rs 102 billion so that maximum deserving people could be financially benefitted through the programme.
She said the amount distributed among the poor through the BISP looked small but it was not less than a gift for them.
She said the BISP was a programme of women empowerment, dignity and trust, adding the corporate sector could make a lot for society through the programme.
Marvi said the BISP had made a database of poor and deserving people of the country as it was a national programme which made it easy to access to these people.
She said the provision of resources for the elimination of poverty was a remarkable job.
Declaring the beneficiaries of the BISP as customers, she said the BISP had 5.4 million customers across the country.
She said a drama was staged in 2010 when BISP forms were distributed through MNAs to gain political advantage of the purely charity based programme but the PML-N government made it transparent and amounts were distributed through a transparent and computerised system without any political discrimination.
She said the programme indirectly supported children as women always thought about their children first.
The minister said committees of 25 women each had been made under the BISP so that they could discuss their matters and offered the business community to introduce women empowerment programmes through these committees.
She also lauded the Prime Minister Self Employment Scheme through which millions of unemployed youth were getting loans for their businesses.
Marvi announced a programme for one million non-school going children who would be sent to schools under the BISP so that these children could get proper education, adding the programme would be helpful in elimination of child labour from society.
Later, the organisers presented a souvenir to the guest.
Source: APP
