Govt 'decides' to expand Benazir Income Support Program

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to expand the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) to cover more beneficiaries, ARY News reported citing sources.

According to sources, the target is to increase the number of BISP holders to 1 crore (10 million). Currently, the number of BISP cardholders stands at around 93 lakh (9.3 million), sources said.

Sources said, a dynamic survey is being conducted to include more people in the program. The dynamic survey is underway in specific districts of all four provinces and offices are being set up in remote areas to facilitate the survey, sources added.

People from Balochistan are being given special consideration in the dynamic survey, sources said. Mobile registration vehicles have been sent to remote areas of Sindh and Balochistan.

Moreover, registration of deserving women is ongoing through BISP’s mobile vehicles, sources said.

Earlier, the federal government increased budgetary allocations for the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) up to Rs. 593 billion, registering 29 percent increase as compared to the last year.

This was revealed during the budget speech presented in the National Assembly by Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Muhammad Aurangzeb.

The number of beneficiaries who were receiving quarterly stipends under Benazir Kafaalat scheme were increased from 9.3 million up to 10 million.