Islamabad: Today, the Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue, chaired by Hon. Syed Naveed Qamar, scrutinized the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) during its fifth meeting at the Parliament House, focusing on issues related to disbursements, surveys, and corruption within the program.
According to National Assembly of Pakistan, the committee was briefed by BISP officials, including Chairperson MS Rubina Khalid, on the program’s budget and new initiatives, which revealed a 27% increase in this year’s funding to a total of 598.718 billion PKR. Despite these financial augmentations, significant concerns were voiced regarding the execution of payments, with reported inefficiencies and corrupt practices leading to illegal deductions and a flawed recertification process. The committee strongly advocated for a more direct payment system to ensure that benefits reach the recipients without intermediaries.
Additionally, the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan provided insights into broader economic issues such as inflation and monetary policy, responding to various inquiries from committee members about the economic road-map for stability and growth.
The meeting, which included prominent MNAs and financial officials, underlined a collective urgency to reform BISP’s operational frameworks to better serve its beneficiaries and to employ biometric verifications as suggested by the Governor SBP to safeguard disbursements.