ISLAMIC BATH:
The Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) has yet to approve its service structure despite being in operation for 18 years, with staff ranging from directors to drivers still serving on deputation, officials informed the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Security on Thursday.
The committee directed BISP to submit a summary to the Ministry of Finance for approval for permanent employment, while directing the program’s six partner banks to increase the number of payment agents to improve service delivery.
The committee, headed by Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur, questioned why the BISP, established in 2008, had failed to recruit regular staff.
“From directors to drivers, everyone is on deputation. Why haven’t ordinary employees been appointed?” Talpur asked during the meeting.
An additional secretary told the committee that all employees were currently on deputation and that the matter had already been referred to the Ministry of Finance. He added that the workload of the organization had expanded significantly and even sanctioned posts had not been filled.
Talpur called the situation a “crisis” and pressed officials to resolve the issue.
BISP secretary Amir Ali Ahmed said the organization was prepared to send a summary to the finance ministry’s austerity committee if the parliamentary panel so directs.
“If full approval is not given, at least we will be able to make the organization functional,” he said.
The committee subsequently instructed BISP to submit the proposal for permanent employment to the Ministry of Finance.
Ahmed informed the lawmakers that BISP would switch to a fully digital payment system from July 16.
Under the new mechanism, beneficiaries will be able to receive payments through bank accounts as well as digital financial services including Easypaisa, JazzCash and UPaisa. The move is aimed at eliminating long queues at payment centers by transferring funds directly to beneficiaries’ accounts, allowing them to withdraw money at their convenience.
Partnership
The Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), in partnership with UN agencies, has extended the Benazir Nashonuma program for another three years to protect an additional 3.3 million children and women from malnutrition across Pakistan.
The three-year extension was jointly announced by BISP, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), reaffirming their commitment to improving maternal and child nutrition and reducing malnutrition among vulnerable communities across the country.
