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Benazir Income Support Program Online Form
The new prime minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif has announced that people who qualify for the Benazir income support program online form will be given free ATM cards. The program will also come with Benazir mission to help poor people overcome their issues. Such steps will help those who need it most. The new program is an excellent move towards ensuring that the poor people receive the help that they deserve.
BISP was launched in 2008
The Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) is a national conditional cash transfer program launched in 2008 to reduce stunting rates in the country. It aims to reduce this problem among the 5.7 million poor families living in Pakistan. BISP has a nutritional component, but the counselling that is provided is generally lacking. In 2008, another project was launched, Ehsas Nashwonuma, which aims to address the problem of stunting among children under 23 months of age in high-burden districts. The World Food Programme (WFP) is funding this project.
The PPP government launched the BISP with the intention of providing a financial cushion to the poor. It was initially funded with cash transfers through parliamentarians but this was discontinued in 2012 and replaced with poverty scorecard-based disbursements based on proxy means testing through a national survey. The BISP has become a defining feature of the PPP government’s policy towards the poor. However, some critics say that the program is politically motivated and may have contributed to a moderate reduction in poverty in Pakistan.
BISP is a social protection system
BISP has helped millions of Filipinos gain access to the financial market and improved their living standards. In addition to increasing the number of beneficiaries, BISP also helped create a pathway for national identification, which is a necessary requirement for receiving government assistance. A new focus on digital payments also allows the poorest women to open branchless bank accounts, which has a profound impact on financial inclusion, agency, and identification. In 2016, more than 75 percent of cash transfers disbursed under the BISP went to beneficiaries in quintiles one and two.
The BISP is an autonomous authority under the newly formed Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division. It is headed by a Chairperson and supported by a Management Board, which includes governmental and non-governmental members. The Management Board approves eligibility requirements, policies, and budgets for the program. The Board also ensures transparency by appointing a Secretary who serves as the Principal Accounting Officer.
BISP uses a smart card
The BISP has expanded its programme to include special initiatives. These include the Waseela-e-Haq program, which empowers women by providing small loans, the Waseela-e-Rozgar program, which offers professional training to women, and the Waseela-e-Sehat program, which provides financial assistance to poor families to pay for basic health care services. Until now, payment to beneficiaries was made by Pakistan Post Office. However, new payment methods are being implemented, including Benazir Debit Card, Smart Card, and Mobile Banking.
BISP has implemented new technology, called Benazir Smart Cards, to make its benefits more accessible and transparent. The card can be obtained free of charge by showing your CNIC card or letter issued by BISP. The Smart Card is a convenient and secure way to access various BISP benefits, not only cash grants. Beneficiaries can now easily receive other benefits as well, such as education and health care assistance.
BISP excludes 800,000 people from beneficiaries
The federal cabinet has approved the exclusion of over 820,000 BISP beneficiaries. This list includes people with cars registered in their names and family members of government employees. However, BISP officials did not share the details of the exclusion. They shared an infographic with the beneficiaries. But this infographic only mentioned the category and the number of beneficiaries removed. However, BISP did not disclose the exact criteria for excluding the people from the programme on its official website.
A recent survey has found that over eight hundred thousand people in the country are not deserving of BISP benefits. A cabinet meeting approved the decision to delete the names of 820,165 people from the BISP database. However, a subsequent survey revealed that the number of eligible beneficiaries has risen by 9% in the past 10 years. This decision is also in line with the government’s promise to promote merit and transparency in the process.
BISP has been replaced by Ehsaas Kafalat Program 2023
The new BISP program will start in February 2023 and will provide stipends to over 7 million people across 70 districts. The new program also makes biometric registration easier than ever. It will be administered through the Safe Payments System. It will pay monthly stipends to women who earn at least Rs 20,000. The government has pledged to help disadvantaged groups in Bangladesh and has taken action against more than 14,000 civil servants and public servants.
The new BISP program will replace the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), which was launched by the PPP government almost a decade ago to fight poverty. Prime Minister Imran Khan has been accused of failing to address the poverty issue. The PPP opposition leader has questioned what the new government has done to reduce poverty in Pakistan. Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari responded that it was an open secret that the BISP had been replaced by Ehsaas Kafalat Program 2023.