LAHORE – A major irregularity has emerged in the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) as an audit report revealed that one man was registered with seven wives, raising serious questions about the programme’s beneficiary verification system.
The audit report also uncovered widespread financial irregularities, including payments to government officials, ineligible individuals and beneficiaries registered under suspicious personal records.
Among the unusual cases identified was one man whose records showed seven registered wives. Officials from Grade 17 to Grade 20 were also found among the beneficiaries.
According to the audit report, multiple individuals received payments against a single Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC), while some men withdrew financial assistance allocated to women.
More than Rs510 million was reportedly distributed among around 12,000 government officers and employees, including pensioners and their spouses.
The audit identified 5,598 cases in which a single CNIC was linked to multiple women, resulting in payments worth Rs240 million.
It also found that more than 450 men received financial assistance intended exclusively for women. During the financial years 2022 to 2024, Rs7.641 million was disbursed to men because of incorrect gender information in official records.
The findings further showed that 107 officers belonging to Grades 17 to 20 benefited from the programme. Overall, 12,078 individuals deemed ineligible under the applicable rules received more than Rs515.7 million.
Another discrepancy involved the marital status of beneficiaries. The records showed around 7,000 unmarried women as married, resulting in payments exceeding Rs104.7 million.
The audit also highlighted irregularities in the programme’s educational scholarship component, where government employees were listed as students to facilitate payments to their mothers.
A total of 278 government employees were registered as students, leading to payments of Rs2.546 million to their mothers. In 23 cases examined by auditors, the individuals concerned had either completed their education or were no longer enrolled in educational institutions.
The report also pointed to the unauthorised transfer of more than Rs130 million from student scholarship funds. Auditors said supporting evidence regarding the proper utilisation of scholarship money was not provided for five universities.
Furthermore, 8,907 complaints concerning alleged misappropriation of financial assistance remained unresolved when the audit was completed. These pending cases involved approximately Rs39.7 million.
Responding to the findings, BISP management said discrepancies in gender and marital status had originated during the initial registration survey and were subsequently corrected.
The administration also maintained that most complaints regarding alleged misappropriation had been addressed at the local level, while verification of updated recovery records was still underway.
The Departmental Accounts Committee has directed the authorities to verify the reported irregularities, conduct investigations and recover funds from individuals who were not entitled to receive financial assistance.
