ISLAMABAD: Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Dr. Muhammad Amjad Saqib interacted with the women beneficiaries at a payment center in Karachi to monitor the payment process and check if any woman is facing the issue of deductions in the quarterly stipend of Benazir Kafaalat.
The disbursement of the quarterly tranche (October-December) of Benazir Kafaalat cash assistance to beneficiaries is continuing smoothly across the country.
Talking to the women beneficiaries who were in queue to receive the payment and those who were leaving after receiving amount, the chairperson asked them if they have faced the issue of payment deduction.
Dr. Amjad Saqib also directed the bank retailers to ensure issuance of full payment of the quarterly stipend without any deduction and warned them of strict action against those involved in such deductions.
The chairperson BISP has also announced to introduce a new payment system for facilitating women beneficiaries which will ensure transparency in payments thr
ough bank accounts, cheques and ATM cards, proving towards a positive step towards women empowerment.
He also announced plans to include the services of more than 15 banks to ensure efficient and transparent payments to the registered beneficiaries.
Earlier, the Chairperson, BISP, Dr Muhammad Amjad Saqib, has directed the official to ensure the smooth disbursement of Kafaalat payments to the women respectably without any deductions.
During his visits to various BISP offices in Peshawar, Sukkur, Sargodha, Abbottabad, Chakwal, Okara, etc., the chairperson has reaffirmed the program’s commitment to the timely and transparent payment of Kafaalat stipends through a constructive dialogue with POS agents.
Dr Amjad Saqib also instructed the staff to monitor the process of payment disbursement and directed the officials to take immediate action against the agents responsible for deductions from the beneficiary’s payments.
The payment process under Benazir Kafaalat initiative is continued across the country, inclu
ding Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan simultaneously.
The payment of Rs 8, 500 per household is being disbursed among around nine million registered beneficiary families. The beneficiaries, in case of any complaint, can approach the nearest BISP Tehsil offices or call the toll-free helpline number 080026477 of the Benazir Income Support Program.
The special control room has been activated in the BISP headquarters to address the complaints of the beneficiaries promptly.
However, the beneficiaries can also contact them on WhatsApp numbers including 0305-917-1917 (Sindh), 0325-5365520 (Punjab), 0325-5365469 (Balochistan), 0325-5365476 (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit Baltistan.
The messages from the Benazir Income Support Program are sent only from 8171, and messages from any other number should not be trusted.
The BISP is currently supporting 9.3 million deserving families and acting as a lifeline for those facing economic hardship.
The
Unconditional Cash Transfers (UCT) program, also known as the ‘Benazir Kafaalat Programme, ‘ is the core initiative of BISP and was launched in 2008. Since its inception, the UCT/Kafaalat initiative has grown to the extent that it is now the largest single cash transfer program in Pakistan’s history.