Islamabad: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety on Thursday reviewed the progress of the Benazir Income Support Programme’s (BISP) digital wallet system, directing the programme to strengthen implementation mechanisms, improve public awareness and ensure participating banks provide adequate facilitation to beneficiaries.
The committee, which met at Parliament House under the chairmanship of Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur, also discussed digital wallet interoperability, compliance by partner banks, beneficiary compensation following the Rahim Yar Khan payment centre incident, and administrative matters related to BISP and Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal.
The meeting began with Fateha for the mother of Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Imran Ahmed Shah.
During the briefing, the Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) informed the committee that HBL and HBL Microfinance Bank would operationalise interoperability by July 16, followed by Telenor Microfinance Bank on July 20, while all six participating banks are expected to complete integration by July 31.
He said online transfers and RAAST transactions would remain free of charge, while transaction charges would apply only to cash withdrawals.
He further informed the committee that complete digitalisation and mandatory online functionality of BISP beneficiary accounts is planned by December 31.
Responding to questions regarding the absence of Point-of-Sale (POS) staff, an HBL representative informed the committee that 77 out of 104 designated staff members were currently deployed in Gujrat district and around 35 per cent of the disbursement target had been achieved there.
Expressing concern over limited public awareness of the Social Protection Digital Wallet and the enforcement of contractual obligations on participating banks, the committee directed the BISP secretary to establish an effective implementation mechanism and ensure banks provide sufficient on-site POS agents and facilitation for beneficiaries.
The BISP secretary assured the committee that a district-wise performance report of participating banks would be submitted and said interoperability had been achieved through coordinated efforts of all stakeholders.
The SBP deputy governor informed the committee that the transaction cost had been fixed at Rs 280, while the schedule of charges would be notified by the central bank every six months.
The committee also directed BISP to submit a detailed report on its public awareness campaign and coordinate with all six participating banks to launch social media awareness campaigns through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
The committee acknowledged progress made in the digital transformation of the social protection system and appreciated the role of the State Bank and the committee’s leadership in advancing the initiative.
Discussing the March 16, incident at a Mobilink Microfinance Bank (JazzCash) BISP payment distribution centre in Rahim Yar Khan, the committee was informed that the bank had been penalised by BISP.
Families of each deceased person had received Rs two million in compensation, while Rs 500,000 had been provided for the medical treatment of each injured person, with the amounts recovered from the bank.
The committee also expressed concern over inadequate accessibility for persons with disabilities at banking facilities.
The State Bank assured members that a comprehensive accessibility and disability audit of bank branches would be carried out.
On administrative matters, the committee was informed that BISP was currently operating with 134 employees on deputation and 17 consultants while facing shortages of permanent staff due to federal austerity measures.
The committee directed the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety to submit a summary to the Finance Division and the relevant austerity committee within two weeks seeking exemptions for staffing requirements.
The committee also reviewed matters relating to Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal. Members were informed that Shaikh Zayed Medical College Hospital in Rahim Yar Khan lacked facilities for cochlear implants, while the Women Empowerment Centre in Khangarh Tehsil remained non-operational because of infrastructure and human resource constraints.
The committee proposed a temporary arrangement in Muzaffargarh to ensure continuity of services.
The committee further decided that questions submitted by members regarding BISP and its beneficiaries would be included in the agenda of its next meeting.
The meeting was attended by committee members, Federal Minister Imran Ahmed Shah, Managing Director Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal Senator Capt. Shaheen Khalid Butt, the Secretary BISP and senior officials from the ministry and other relevant organisations.