ISLAMABAD: Chairman Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Enver Baig said BISP is venturing into a new era where beneficiaries will not only benefit from Cash Transfer schemes through transparent payment mechanisms, but also from vocational and technical training.
In a meeting with Gaudencio Hernandez Jr., Alternate Executive Director, Asian Development Bank (ADB) who called on him here at BISP Secretariat, the chairman said BISP is taking effective measures to take people out of poverty through skill development initiative.
The meeting was to discuss matters of mutual cooperation for the benefit of the poorest of the poor population of Pakistan.
During the meeting, Chairman BISP Enver Baig gave a comprehensive briefing to the visiting ADB Alternate Executive Director on functions and operations of BISP.
He told the ADB official about recent developments in BISP especially regarding Waseela-e-Rozgar.
He said under the new government, BISP is aiming to turn Waseela-e-Rozgar into an effective graduation programme.
Enver Baig also commended the efforts of ADB for poverty alleviation and stated that he is looking forward for a long term relationship with the Bank.
He further stated that BISP will continue to provide support through un-conditional cash transfer to its beneficiaries with the key objective to graduate as many families out of the poverty trap and make them stand on their own feet.
BISP will also expand the un-conditional cash transfer to more identified families gradually. He marked that it is the vision of Honorable Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif to make BISP a success story by pushing it to benefit maximum number of beneficiaries across the country.
ADB has signed 430 million dollars program with Government of Pakistan for BISP which will be utilized in providing cash transfer, designing and implementing graduation programs and technical assistance.
The ADB has a 12-member board of directors, headed by the Bank's president. Mr. Hernandez Jr. along with Sami Saeed, Executive Director to ADB represents a constituency of seven countries including Kazakhstan, the Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Timor-Leste.
Hernandez appreciated the design and efforts of BISP and the devotion of current government towards the welfare of poor people.
He said ADB is not only looking to invest in the cash transfer program but also to support BISP in developing comprehensive graduation mechanisms.
He offered full support to Chairman BISP in designing a setup for improving cooperation between ADB and BISP through improved knowledge sharing mechanisms.
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