Hybrid social protection system: $600m PCRSP project facing delay: World Bank

ISLAMABAD: The hybrid social protection system and the new payment system of the Pakistan Crisis Resilient Social Protection project worth $600 million is facing delay, says the World Bank.

Official documents revealed that the bank has urged for required attention to expedite the process. The programme development objectives were to support the development of a more adaptive social protection system that will contribute to any future crisis resilience among poor and vulnerable households.

The objective of the programme is to support the development of a more adaptive social protection system that will contribute to future crisis resilience among poor and vulnerable households in the country. The programme is focused on the key initiatives being undertaken by the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) under the Ehsaas Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programs, namely, Kafaalat, Waseela-e-Taleem, and Nashonuma.

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The financial inclusion and informal worker support initiatives of Ehsaas have also been included in the programme.

The Crisis Resilient Social Protection programme became effective on March 29, 2021. It is a four-year, $600 million programme for results operation with a $5 million technical assistance component. The programme has three result areas focusing on; a) building a crisis-resilient delivery system; b) establishing a Hybrid Social Protection (SP) system for resilience of poor against future crisis; and c) protecting human capital through demand-side education and health initiatives for children.

The recent mid-term review (MTR) noted good progress towards the achievement of most results ahead of the programme’s closing date. There are, however, delays in the design for the Hybrid Social Protection system and the new payment system which require attention, the documents revealed.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023