Various institutions: World Bank team briefed on extensive use of BISP’s data

ISLAMABAD: Secretary of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Amer Ali Ahmad on Monday briefed a World Bank delegation on the extensive use of BISP’s data by various government and non-government institutions across the country.

He gave this briefing to the WB mission led by Cristobal Ridao-Cano, Practice Manager, Social Policy at the WB’s MENAP (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan) region.

The delegation visited the BISP headquarters and met its senior management.

During his briefing, the secretary of the BISP highlighted recent achievements under BISP’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programmes, particularly in the areas of nutrition and education.

The mission is visiting Pakistan to review the current social policy portfolio, assess progress at federal and provincial levels, and explore opportunities for future collaboration, said an official statement issued here.

The secretary of the BISP highlighted the utilisation of the BISP database and achievements of CCT (Conditional Cash Transfer) programmes. The discussions focused on data security, targeting, and enhanced coordination. On the occasion, Chairperson of the BISP Senator Rubina Khalid emphasised strengthening NSER (National Socio-Economic Registry) and data centralisation.

She underscored the importance of strengthening the uniformity and centralisation of the BISP NSER database to ensure transparency and authenticity in social protection delivery.

The chairperson emphasised that all stakeholders at federal and provincial levels must align with this national priority.

The WB mission, the statement said, commended BISP’s impact and reforms.

Ridao-Cano, the WB official, appreciated the BISP’s progress and the positive impact of its initiatives on the lives of underprivileged communities. He reaffirmed the WB’s continued support and expressed interest in further deepening collaboration with BISP.

The meeting between the WB and BISP officials also focused on enhancing secure data-sharing protocols, preventing duplication across CCT programmes, strengthening targeting mechanisms, and increasing provincial engagement with the BISP systems. Later, the WB mission visited the BISP One-Window Centre to interact with the beneficiaries and to review service delivery by implementing partners.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025