ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety on Tuesday reviewed progress on federal poverty alleviation programs and addressed service delivery challenges during its ninth meeting.
Chaired by Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur, the committee focused on implementation delays, institutional coordination, and operational shortcomings. Members highlighted the lack of defined timelines in the sub-committee’s report as a key obstacle and decided to summon the State Bank of Pakistan governor and heads of private banks in the next session to establish clear project deadlines.
Delays in a pilot initiative were attributed to system integration issues, with project completion now expected by July.
The committee reviewed the Prime Minister’s Ramadan Relief Package, which disbursed aid to 2.7 million of the 3.5 million eligible families using CNIC-based biometric verification and digital wallet transfers. While members commended the State Bank’s regulatory oversight for secure transactions, concern was raised over 1,100 unfilled positions at the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), citing the federal hiring freeze.
The Ministry of Finance was urged to address the issue to ensure uninterrupted service.
Members instructed the Ministry to submit a comprehensive report on all foreign-funded initiatives, despite no current USAID-linked programs. The committee stressed the need for a national poverty reduction framework to integrate federal, provincial, and non-governmental efforts while maintaining compliance with national security protocols.
The committee noted that fewer than 1,000 of 18,000 NGOs are officially registered, calling for stronger oversight to prevent potential fund misuse.
Regarding the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund’s Memorandum of Association, recommendations were deferred pending judicial review. A copy of the summary was requested for submission to the Prime Minister’s Office.
The meeting ended with a consensus on the need for defined timelines, cross-ministerial coordination, and judicial adherence in unresolved matters. Members of the National Assembly and ministry officials attended the session.
