The Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue expressed concern on Wednesday over the disbursement process, surveys, and corruption within the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP).
The committee, chaired by Syed Naveed Qamar, met at the Parliament House to discuss major programs, budget allocations, disbursements, poverty surveys, and new payment methods related to BISP.
The Chairperson of BISP and the Secretary of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety informed the committee that the annual budget for BISP has increased by 27% for the fiscal year 2024-25, amounting to Rs598.718 billion.
The committee raised issues regarding the disbursement process, illegal deductions by point-of-sale (POS) operators, and overall corruption in the program. They called for direct access for beneficiaries to payments and criticised the bureaucratic approach in policy-making.
To enhance security in the disbursement process, the committee directed the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to assist BISP in implementing biometric verification for beneficiaries. The Governor briefed the committee on inflation, money supply, monetary policy, the current account, foreign exchange reserves, and plans for price stability and sustainable growth.
The meeting was attended by various members of the National Assembly, including Bilal Azhar Kayani, Rana Iradat Sharif Khan, Syed Sami Ul Hassan Gilani, Waseem Qadir, Kesoo Mal Kheal Das, Ali Jan Mazari, Dr. Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, Dr. Nafisa Shah, Arshad Abdullah Vohra, Omar Ayub Khan, Muhammad Mobeen Arif, Usama Ahmed Mela, Muhammad Ali Sarfraz, and Ms. Shahida Begum. Also present were State Minister for Finance Ali Pervaiz Malik, Chairperson BISP Rubina Khalid, and senior officials from the Finance Division and SBP.
