BISP, a non political scheme, serving 9 mln women across country: Kundi

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Jun 27 (APP): Minister of State for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Faisal Karim Kundi on Tuesday said the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) was a non-political scheme under which about nine million deserving women were being benefitted across the country.

Faisal Kundi, who is also the central information secretary of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), stated this during a meeting with different delegations and party representatives here at the residence of PPP District President Malik Farhan Dhap in Paroa.

He said the poor voters of every party were being facilitated under this program.

Kundi said that Rs 80.7 billion were being distributed among deserving people under Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) across the country.

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.