BISP completes around 98 percent poverty survey

Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has completed around 98 percent of the first ever nation-wide poverty survey, aimed at identifying deserving families for provision of monthly cash grant and other incentives.
An official of BISP told APP on Wednesday that the survey is at final stage as maximum number of households have been surveyed while the process is still underway in Fata which will be completed soon.
The new system of targeting is being used to ensure objectivity, using international best practices and minimise inclusion and exclusion errors. The use of Global Positioning System (GPS) device was also made mandatory in this phase to uphold the dignity of households by conducting the survey at their doorsteps, the official said.
The number of BISP beneficiary families will increase up to seven million after the completion of the survey. For ensuring transparent cash transfer to the registered families, mobile phone banking has been introduced for the first time in the country' history which would eliminate any human involvement in disbursement of cash to the deserving.
Free mobile phones have been distributed amongst thousands of beneficiaries in Larkana, Battagram, Layyah, Rawalpindi and Islamabad. BISP has also introduced Benazir Smart Card for payments to beneficiary families which was initially launched in four test phase districts, ie Mianwali, Mirpurkhas, Multan and Sanghar and now being expanded to all over the country by end of this year.
Giving details of the incentives for the registered families, the official said, a comprehensive Group Life Insurance Scheme is also being offered to the bread earners of BISP beneficiary families. The insurance scheme launched earlier this year has insured around 3 million families initially.
In case of death of the bread earner of the beneficiary's family, the family will receive an amount of Rs 100,000 within 90 days of the death. To empower the undeserved segments of the society, BISP is all set to launch Health Insurance initially in the pilot phase which will be later extended to all over the country.
Under this scheme every family will be provided health insurance worth of Rs 25,000. However, vocational training is also being imparted to one member of the beneficiary family enabling them to become self dependant. Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) is also introducing Conditional Cash Transfer for Education.