Staff Reporter
Islamabad
The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Sunday lauded the government’s move to streamline the database of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and exclude undeserving persons from the list of beneficiaries.
BISP has been supporting the poor since long and so far it has distributed around Rs700 billion among poor but politicians added millions of undeserving to the list of beneficiaries which was cruelty, it said.
Now the government has decided to remove over eight hundred thousand people from the list of beneficiaries which will save Rs16 billion annually which can be used to support the deserving which is a laudable move, said Chairman Brig. Muhammad Aslam Khan (Retd).
He said that how can those who own vehicles have land over 12 acres, travel abroad and pay heavy utility bills can get aid under BISP which was meant for the poor.
Aslam Khan noted that a political party is opposing this move with full force which indicates its involvement in the corruption which deprived poor of their right for years for the sake of political popularity.
BISP is the largest social safety net in Pakistan and its performance has been repeatedly lauded at home and abroad by various institutions and now it will be able to support the poor in an effective way, he said.
Such initiatives are essential to help poverty-stricken people, therefore, these programs need to be managed in a way that the benefits reach the targeted people and political interference is avoided.
