DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), according to Minister of State for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Faisal Karim Kundi, is a non-political program that benefits about nine million deserving women nationwide.
This was said by Faisal Kundi, who also serves as the Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) central information secretary, during a meeting with various delegations and PPP officials held at Malik Farhan Dhap, the district president of the PPP, in Paroa. He claimed that this program helped the poor voters of all parties. According to Kundi, the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) is distributing Rs 80.7 billion to deserving individuals nationwide.
He said the recent payment distribution process of BISP was being monitored by him, Federal Minister Shazia Marri and the BISP officials.
Keeping in view the extreme weather conditions and the hardships being faced by the beneficiary women, the payments were transferred to specific retailers from the payment centres. he added.
Kundi said that 900,000 cards were blocked during the previous regime and we had promised the nation to restore them, adding, about 250,000 cards including 7,000 from Dera Ismail Khan had been restored to date.
About 165,000 women from Dera Ismail Khan benefitted under BISP while 12,000 more have been registered from the area during a recent survey.
Kundi said that Dera Ismail Khan has been included in the districts of the pilot project under which the beneficiaries would be paid through banks by next month.
Moreover, he said Rs 70 billion were given to the flood victims. He said a NADRA office had been opened in Paroa Tehsil despite the obstacles and now he had demanded the Interior Ministry to immediately establish the same facility in Paniala.
“We inaugurated the rehabilitation work on Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC) last month and issued instructions to the contractor to complete the work within one month but the problem is not being solved,” Kundi informed.
“I request the WAPDA chairman to pay a visit himself so that the responsibility for this delay should be identified,” he added.
